The Return of the Nightfuries (REDUX)
by razor95
Summary: No-one knew where the Nightfuries had gone. For only one was ever seen haunting the skies over the archipelago. However that changed when a weakling boy shot one down and discovered more about himself and the Nightfuries than anyone ever thought possible. Doing so changed things beyond recognition and his ultimate revenge may very well drown his former tribe in blood.
1. Childish Games

**Hey all**

 **So begins another story that I am working on in collaboration with fellow fanfictioner Zyonzillia. In this story it will be another Hiccup leaving tale.**

 **Updates will be sporadic as I have to balance it off with my other fictions so updates will about once a fortnight. Chapters will shorter than my other fics and things may change depending on what ideas myself and Zyon come up with so there will be a nice slow burn for things to come.**

 **It basically starts after Hiccup has defeated the Nadder and has been chosen to fight the Monstrous Nightmare and begins later that day.**

 **I will**

 **Hope you like.**

* * *

 **Part 1 – Childish Games**

It was day normal like any other on Berk. Vikings went about their daily routines, happily living a life that rolled forward under its own momentum. The sun was out and birds were singing. The village hummed and heaved to the sounds of the forge, houses being rebuilt or repaired and the laughter of children, freed from the boredom of their chores, playing in the street.

However one little girl was not having as much fun as the others as she chased a boy through the streets because he had taken something of hers, as teasing young boys of that age are want to do.

"Gustav! Gustav! Come on! Give her back! Please!" Vali Larson begged

"Nuh uh! Not until you say Gustav is the best Viking in the world ever!" the older brother smirked.

"Noooo!" his young sister whined, having been forced into this humiliating exchange too many times before.

"Say it! Gustav is the best!" the young Larson boy crooned as he held the girl's stuffed lamb high above his head far away from Vali's much shorter grasping hands.

"But I don't wanna!" she whined.

Gustav jumped back a few paces, his eyes grew narrow and he smiled evilly as he stared down the girl now frightened by his demeanour.

"Then I'm going to have to take little 'lamby' here to the shearers for a haircut and then I think we'll have some dinner, maybe a nice...lamb...stew!"

"Nooooo!" Vali yelled, scared witless at the prospect of her favourite toy being skinned and then eaten for dinner. True part of her knew her 'lamby' was just a toy, but at that age it didn't make a difference. Her favourite stuffed animal was just as alive as she was, with all the relevant thoughts and feelings that came with it. Vali couldn't face the world if her precious 'lamby' was gone.

"hah ha ha ha!" Gustav taunted as he revelled in getting the distraught reaction he had hoped for from his young sister who was being such a 'girl'. He took off running even faster, knowing there was still more fun to be had with this game.

"Come on Gustav! pleeeeaaaaaase! Don't make her into lamb stew! Come back!" Vali begged, nearly on the verge of tears.

"You're gonna have to catch me first!" Gustav shouted back over his shoulder, not showing any sign of slowing his pace

"I'm gonna tell on you! Come back!" the girl protested as she picked up her feet to a running pace determined to catch up with her arrogant brother.

"ha ha ha..." Gustav roared as he raced round a corner. He had planned to get to the edge of the forest and stick the stuffed toy up a tree and then spend an hour or so watching his tiny sister's futile attempts to get it down. Truly this was going to be a good day.

That all stopped as, in his eagerness, he didn't look where he was going and slammed right in to someone coming the other way. The boy stopped dead against the solid body and fell on his back side, the toy lamb flying out his grip. Wincing and looking up he couldn't see who he had run into as they were hidden by the sun behind them.

Still he was a Larson, he wasn't about to apologise. He puffed out his chest and shook his fist at the spoiler of his fun

"Hey! Watch where you're..."

Gustav's reproach died in his throat as he saw his hand was covered with something. It was a thick sticky liquid that had a vaguely metallic aroma to it. Turning his hand over he realised his hand was covered in blood. Real blood. The kind that adults bleed.

But it was not his blood. It was the stranger's. The stranger was covered in blood and now it was on his hands. Every muscle in Gustav's body froze and his sense of the world faded to nothing as he was entranced by the horrifying, lumbering, rasping figure that stood before him. He didn't even notice the subject of his teasing catch up to him and notice the dark figure herself.

While the cocky young boy was stock still, Vali in her fear snatched her lamb from where it had been dropped and let out a terrified high pitched scream that carried across Berk and possibly to the realm of the gods itself. Many Vikings dropped what they were doing and raced to their side fearing the worst only to have those fears dashed and replaced by new ones upon witnessing the cause of the disturbance.

When some arrived they gasped as they had never seen anything like it.

Immediately someone ran off to fetch the chief.

* * *

 **There you are guys**

 **I hope you like it.**

 **As always, reviews PM's and feedback are always welcome.**

 **Until next time, take of yourselves and each other.**


	2. Victory Speeches

**Hey guys**

 **Thanks for all the great feedback you've been giving us so far**

 **Here we have a new chapter from a new perspective. I've been getting some great ideas on the board from my fellow collaborator Zyonzillia with this story so I hope you all like where this is going.**

 **Last time - Gustav and Vali Larson encountered a terrifying stranger in the middle of town. Now we switch to the Great Hall at the same time.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 2 – Victory Speeches**

"Well? What do you think?" Stoick asked, his face full of expectation.

"It's...well...it's..." Gobber looked at the parchment in his hand, up at his friend, back at the parchment then back to his friend again, a very uncertain look on his face.

"It's **_what?"_ ** Stoick began to frown, annoyed that his hard work was obviously going to be criticized.

"Do you not think it's a bit...much?" The blacksmith asked tentatively.

"What do you mean?" Stoick replied impatiently.

Gobber set the page down with the chief's speech on it. Stoick said he had put all his chiefing duties aside for the day to work on composing it for Hiccup's graduation fight tomorrow and he wanted the opinion of his best friend and Hiccup's mentor on it. Stoick was beginning to regret that decision.

Gobber scratched the back of his neck as he spoke; obviously not wanting to rake up the awkward relationship issues he knew existed between the chief and his son. But this time he felt he had no choice in the matter.

"Well...Stoick...the thing is...the boy's not really used to receiving praise at the best of times...I mean you saw how quickly he vanished after getting mobbed by the crowd in the arena this morning...never seen him move so quick in his entire life...!"

"What are you getting at Gobber?" Stoick didn't want another lecture on his lacklustre parenting skills.

"I'm just saying it may put him off!...Distract him, you know?" Gobber elaborated, his stone tooth rocking in his mouth as he flexed a smile.

To calm the now visibly aggravated chief down Gobber lifted up the speech and started quoting passages from it to prove his point

"Look...If you go from scolding him in front of the entire tribe to calling him _'the pride of Berk'_...and... _'living proof that the Haddocks are descendants from the mighty gods themselves_ '...then he has to fight off a Monstrous Nightmare?...he'll be worried enough without having to live up to such a... _grand_ opening like this!"

"I don't care Gobber!" Stoick interrupted forcefully, chugging down a tankard of Meade, a wide smile breaking across his face. "It's about time Hiccup got some praise for something and the fact that it's _dragon training_ of all things. It's almost too good to be true! Sometimes I think I'm dreaming and when I wake up, things will be as they were with that boy destroying more of the village than those damned dragons! I can finally make a fuss of him without having to worry about it going wrong!"

"You know the lad does have skills besides dragons training!" Gobber urged, slightly dismayed at his friend's misguided pride, "he may not look it but he's a whizz in the forge!"

"Aye!" Stoick nodded before refilling his tankard as he spoke with even more energy, "but he can't be stuck there forever! If he does well against the Nightmare, I'll be able to start him back in his chief training properly...teach him what he needs to know...take him on more visits to other tribes...get him back to combat training so he'll have more meat on his bones...mould him into the heir and chief he should be!"

Stoick leaned back as he revelled in the glorious new future he could see unfurling before him and marvelling at his own cleverness while Gobber looked at his friend, his jaw becoming slacker as Stoick pressed on.

"And to think all it took was a firm hand, a strong word and a deal between father and son", Stoick smugly intoned, "It's amazing Gobber! I should have done it years ago! Once he's done with the dragon training I'll get him to throw out all those fanciful inventions he wastes his time on and get him back on the path to be a true Viking!"

At this point Gobber winced at the enormity of what he was hearing. He had seen how Hiccup responded to Stoick's forceful tactics in the past and it never ended well for the boy. Hel, even forcing Hiccup into dragon training had nearly gotten him killed a dozen times over, so forcibly removing something that made Hiccup who he was, seemed insensitive bordering on cruelty.

"Do you not think that's taking it a little too far?" The blacksmith inquired incredulously, "I mean sure he's gotten great at dragon training but he's still Hiccup. It's gonna take a lot more than just your say so to get him to change, We're Vikings after all! We've got ...stubbornness issues."

"Nonsense Gobber!" Stoick waved dismissively with his hand, enraptured by his new found breakthrough, "now that I know how to handle him it'll be easy! Granted, he may not like it at first but he'll learn to love it and then he'll finally start acting like the son of a chief!"

Gobber snorted derisively before taking a slug of his Meade and pushing the speech into Stoick's face.

"Well before you start cementing ' _the great haddock legacy'_ let's get tomorrow over with first! Just tone down the fanciful language, keep it simple!"

"Like how?" Stoick really thought his grand speech was perfect.

"Just say how proud you are of how well he's done" Gobber urged "And that he'll make a fine Viking. That's all he wants!"

"Really?" Stoick's eyebrow raised. 'W _as it really that simple?'_

Gobber sighed as he went on "Hiccup said to me all he wanted was to be _one of us_! That will be enough for him and everyone else...at least for now."

"I suppose that will do" Stoick sighed in agreement before his eyes sprang to life again, "once I give it the old Haddock flair!"

"The old Haddock Flair? Oh great!" Gobber groaned sarcastically, "If you say so chief!"

"I do!" Stoick slammed his tankard down effectively ending that particular part of their conversation turning his mind to more practical matters. If he couldn't show off his son with his words then maybe he could do it in another way.

"...now how are you going to set up the arena? I want the place looking the best it's been in years with banners featuring the Haddock crest and torches and...!"

"Don't worry old friend" Gobber interrupted smiling, already seeing Stoick's enthusiasm begin to take over again, "I've already got the preparations well under way. The place will look perfect for the Hiccup to..."

 **"CHIEF!"**

The voice rang across the great hall like a clarion bell disturbing everyone with its volume and urgency.

"What is it?" Stoick snapped out, his ears open to hear, his mind ready to analyse and his body tense, ready to react at a moment's notice.

"You need to see it for yourself sir!" The warrior called, seemingly afraid to leave his post at the great hall doors, "One of the villagers has been attacked and they're down in the village now, babbling something! It looks bad sir!"

"Like what?" Stoick bellowed in annoyance, already rising from his chair along with other Vikings who had been disturbed from their own business, curious at the strange news.

As Stoick approached, he took in the sheepish guard's clueless expression and scoffed. Clearly this man had nothing really to tell him and he hated not knowing what he might be facing. However seeing his vast chief get closer the guard seemed to regain his tongue and blurted out.

"I don't sir! I was just told to come and get you...I think...it's one of the children...that's all I know sir!"

"Children?" Stoick froze.

 _'Oh Gods! Hiccup!'_

Stoick's agile mind leapt like a coiled spring.

 _'It could be another accident with one of his new-fangled contraptions or perhaps he was attacked by a rogue dragon!_ '

Stoick fought hard to keep his imagination in check despite bitter experience showing him that disaster seemed follow his son around like a sickly shadow.

"Alright let's get down there and see what's going on!"

And with that Stoick, Gobber and a dozen Vikings dashed out of the great hall, the wake of their passing scattering the many pages of plans for Hiccup's final trial all across the floor.

* * *

 **There you are guys**

 **I hope you like it.**

 **As always, reviews PM's and feedback are always welcome.**

 **Until next time, take of yourselves and each other.**


	3. Dirty Laundry

**Hey friends**

 **here's another chapter for ROTNF I'm working on with my friend Zyonzillia.**

 **I hope you like it.**

* * *

 _ **P** **art 3 – Dirty Laundry**_

Like many women of Berk, afternoon was the perfect time for Hilda Hofferson to hang out her washing. The sun was at its warmest for the cold bitter rock that was Berk, but it usually sufficed to get the job done.

It had been a troubling time for the Viking warrior-maiden. Her daughter had been constantly angry, not that there was anything new about that, but recently her anger was tinged with a frightening atmosphere of bitterness and resentment she had never witnessed in her daughter before. It hung around her like fiery red aura threatening to burn anyone who dared approach her and it made nights in the Hofferson household unbearably tense.

Not even Baldur, Astrid's father, had been able to soothe the girl as she would simply sit in her chair for hours on end, sharpening her axe and grinding her teeth to razor sharp edges.

And now she knew the reason why.

It was all because of Hiccup Haddock, the chief's son. He had done the unthinkable and beaten her daughter, _her daughter,_ at the one thing Astrid excelled at. Fighting dragons. On the one hand she was pleased the boy had finally started making himself useful for a change, rather than being an instrument of Loki's destruction. But by the same token she was almost insulted that all the praise and honour he had earned had ultimately come at Astrid's expense.

She was so proud of the warrior her daughter was growing into and knew more opportunities for her to prove herself would come in time. However she was saddened that Astrid's own pride was blinding her to this fact of life and that neither she nor her husband could convince the irate girl.

For the longest time - well pretty much for her entire life - Astrid openly loathed and bullied Hiccup and Hilda would have to do something about that before it became a really dangerous problem. If she spoke to Stoick then maybe he could organize some sort of reconciliation between the two teenagers. With enough coaxing and persuasion, Hilda thought, perhaps a suitable _match_ for the future could be made. Hilda smiled at the possibility of the two most powerful families on Berk being united through marriage, as she flicked a pair of her husband's britches in the air before draping them over her washing line.

The sun seemed even more pleasant than usual and birdsong could be heard. Unknowingly Hilda began to hum along as she went about her chore with renewed gusto.

The sound of voices in the street began to distract Hilda and more and more people walking briskly by made her stop altogether. Hilda was always eager to hear gossip. It's what made life here interesting and it was good to know what was going on.

As she made her way swiftly to the street from her small garden she was nearly bowled over by a rushing Magnahild Ingerman who skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner and came face to face with her.

"Woah Magnahild!" the warrior-maiden declared to her close friend in shocked surprise, "What's the rush? What's going on?"

The look on the Ingerman woman's face immediately set Hilda on edge. Her friend had been rushing to see _her_ and the panicked breathing and haunted look she bore spelt out she did not bring good tidings.

Hilda suddenly realised that the commotion going on in town had something to do with her or, if not her then Baldur or...Astrid!

A thousand thoughts exploded in Hilda's mind.

 _Had her irate girl done something foolish? Like take out her pent up frustrations on something other than trees? Had she broken into the arena again to fight a dragon alone or had she done herself an injury or someone else? Had she finally decided to take revenge on the Haddock boy thus risking the anger of Stoick the Vast?_

In any case it didn't matter and Hilda raced off to the plaza where she saw a large crowd had gathered already. As she shoved herself through the growing mass, Magnahild Ingerman at her side, Hilda saw Chief Stoick doing the same as he thundered down the steps from the Great Hall.

 _'Oh no!_ ' she thought.

If Stoick got involved then this could go very badly for everyone concerned. With Baldur away with the flock in the foothills it would be up to her to defend her family's honour and she would do so with the typical Hofferson ferocity. Redoubling her efforts she literally dragged people out of her way to get to the centre of the action.

Finally breaking through the front of the crowd, a horrifying sight met Hilda Hofferson's eyes. A sight so out of place and heart-breaking she could do nothing but drop to her knees and let out a harrowing wail of despair.

* * *

 **There you are guys**

 **Thanks so much for all your support thus far.**

 **All reviews, PM's and feedback are really appreciated.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**


	4. Battle Scars

**Hey guys!**

 **Well the last few chapters have certainly got a really interesting reaction and no mistake!**

 **I love it!**

 **To see so much passion for the story coming up is great. I do see how you could be a bit annoyed at it but it's an old school technique one of my mentors taught me called 'car crash'. What's more interesting? the crash itself or all the myriad perspectives that witness it seeing the outcome is always going to be the same? I do love looking at different points of view as there is always more going on around the main story than we all realize.**

 **Normally I would have put all of these into one long long long chapter but I'm trying to keep my chapters short for this story as 'I alone' and 'Scars' have very large word counts.** **Seeing such a strong reaction, I've decided to play nice and give you the answer tonight rather than leaving it for another week.**

 **The past few chapters gave you all a hint that something bad had happened. Now we get to see just how bad!** **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Part 4 – Battle Scars**_

Stoick broke through the line of onlookers at the same time as Hilda and was shocked by the woman's reaction. When it came to fighting, she would charge in like all the other Hoffersons fearlessly did. So to see her so frozen and screaming like this was a very ominous sign.

Turning his head, Stoick finally took in the sight that had reduced Hilda Hofferson to a simpering wreck and made him fight his own gag reflex.

There, standing in full view of over half the tribe was Astrid Hofferson.

But it was not the Astrid Hofferson anyone had ever seen before. Normally she was dressed immaculately, her clothing and armour kept in pristine condition, her ever present axe ready to be wielded at a moment's notice. She was everything an aspiring shield-maiden, Viking and future Valkyrie should look like with an attitude that exuded confidence, strength and fearlessness.

But that was not the sight that greeted him.

Astrid was standing alone, her body violently shaking, her eyes on stalks and wide with paralysing fear. Her hair, normally restrained in a tight braid was wild and thrown in every direction. Some of it looked like it had been burnt and there was an exposed patch on her scalp where a large clump of it had been ripped out completely, forcing blood to taint her sunny blonde locks.

Her face was just as unsettling, locked in a rictus mask of horror. It was as if she had seen the face of Surtur himself and she could not let her face make any other expression other than pure dread.

The rest of Astrid's body was a patchwork of despair. The majority of her clothes had been ripped or burnt away to the point where the girl was practically naked. There was no sign of her leather skirt, her armoured shoulder guards or her leggings. A few flimsy strands of fabric barely preserved the girl's dignity but she didn't seem to notice or even care. Her boots were missing.

The sheer amount of exposed skin told a more disturbing story for Astrid was covered in bruises, burns and cuts painting her normally pale, flawless, alabaster skin as an ugly tapestry of browns, purples, pinks and reds. It was as if she had walked through Silent Sven's abattoir and bathed in the blood of the slaughtered cattle.

The girl had been attacked, that much was clear.

' _But by who?'_

Stoick edged half a step forward to realise in shock that the cuts were nothing like any weapon would make and bore the distinct patterns of claw and teeth marks.

' _A dragon then'._

Seeing that the other villagers were now looking at him to take action Stoick breathed deep and strode towards the girl to be within a few feet of her. As he got closer he began to hear that she was muttering something. Fast and incoherent, but words nonetheless.

"Astrid?"

The girl didn't respond her eyes locked on some middle-distance that was everywhere and nowhere.

"Astrid!" the chief declared more forcefully.

This got the girl's attention and she snapped her eyes to him. The haunted look in the girl's eyes was even more disturbing up close. It was a desperate plea for help but had a look of damnation about it as well.

"Astrid? What happened? What did this to you?" Stoick asked evenly.

The girl's face wrestled to bring her trembling lips under control trying to form a word. Her breathing was constantly hitching as she struggled to make the most coherent sounds she could.

"H...Hi...Hicc...Hiccc...Hicccuuu...ppppp...Hiccup!"

Stoick's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up at the mention of his son's name.

"What?!" Hilda asked as the crowd made a collective gasp at the apparent accusation against the chief's son.

"What you mean Astrid? What about Hiccup?" Stoick growled low approaching the girl till he was looming over her.

At first Astrid didn't answer and fell back to her incoherent mutterings, her body still shaking.

Stoick had had enough. His son was in danger of being accused of a very serious crime and he wouldn't let some deranged girl sully his heir's already fragile reputation. Not when it had finally risen after all this time.

Stoick lunged forward and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, going down on one knee bringing his face directly in line with hers and practically roared his questions. He barely held back the urge to strike the girl.

"What do you mean girl!? Speak sense! What do you mean to say about Hiccup!?"

The shock of the chief's vast voice in her face seemed to bring Astrid back to some form of lucidness. She stared at the chief as if realising he was there for the first time. His gaze was a morass of emotions ranging from concern to fury, from fear to righteous indignation.

Twitching and wincing in pain Astrid her raised her hand to point at the forest behind her. She looked Stoick dead in the eyes and her flickering lips laced with horror loudly rasped.

"Hic...Hic...Hiccup...N-n-n-night...F-f-fury...g-g-g-g-gone...b-b-b-b-back!"

"What?" was all Stoick could ask in his confusion.

"Hiccup….Nightfury...Gone...Back!" Astrid repeated desperate for someone to understand her. But Stoick did not understand as he got more irate in his confusion.

"Is he alright? Where is he? What happened?!"

But all Astrid could say was those same four words.

"Hiccup...Nightfury...Gone...Back!"

Stoick was feeling his rage mixed with worry overtake him again. Here was the most fearless warrior of her generation, a Viking prodigy, now quivering, bloody and weak as a new-born lamb.

He considered the scenario that his son and Astrid had encountered a Nightfury.

 _"A Nightfury?!"_

Terror seized the chief's heart as he realised that if Astrid had been reduced to the traumatised wreck in front of him then what could have happened to his scrawny fishbone hiccup of a son?

He looked to Astrid for an answer but all he got was her repeating the same four words faster and faster and faster until she broke down in a horrified wail that would have put anyone in mourning to shame. Gruffly the chief stood up and pushed her into the waiting arms of her mother who was still shocked at the state her daughter was in.

"Gobber!" Stoick yelled, "Get a search party together! Fully armed! If Hiccup is still out there with a Nightfury on the loose, then we're going to save him!"

"And if we're too late?" Gobber ventured tentatively.

"Then were going to find that Nightfury and skin it alive or any other dragon that tries to get in our way!"

For a moment the village didn't move as they were too entranced by the sheer aura of rage the chief now exuded. Not hearing any movement Stoick looked over the crowd, his eye twitching in barely contained rage.

"NOW!" Stoick roared and it got everyone moving. Most didn't know where to go but left anyway for the great hall in well-practised fashion. Gobber immediately started calling certain Vikings by name to join the hunting party. Stoick marched to his house for his battle-axe, his sword, his shield, his daggers, his hatchet and any other weapon he could carry.

Soon all that remained of the crowd were the Hofferson women still crying in a close huddle along with Magnahild Ingerman and Hildegard Thorston who had also come to comfort her distressed friend.

"We need to get them to Gothi's!" Magnahild urged

"Agreed!" Hildegard intoned.

Soon they were supporting the Hofferson women to the elder, silently praying that she could heal Astrid's wounds.

* * *

 **Now you have the answer guys!**

 **I hope you liked it**

 **As always reviews, PM's and feedback is always appreciated.**

 **Till next time, take care of yourselves and each other.**


	5. The Searchers

**Hey all**

 **Back again with a new chapter for Return of the Nightfuries in collaboration with my good friend Zyonzillia. apologies for the absence. had to work on some job interviews recently so I've been a bit distracted.**

 **Many thanks for all the feedback you've been giving. It's been great to see the such a nice reaction. any reviews, P.M.'s or feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **enjoy**

* * *

 _ **Last time, Stoick and the Hooligan Tribe encountered a bloodied and scared Astrid Hofferson who spoke of some kind of dragon attack involving her, Hiccup and a Nightfury. Lets see what happens next!**_

* * *

 **Part 5 – The Searchers**

Stoick didn't even look back at Astrid or her mother as he entered his hall to collect his weapons.

The girl was alive but that was of little consolation to Stoick the Vast if his son was not and he did not have the full story of what had transpired.

He remembered how violently Astrid had reacted to Hiccup being chosen to fight the Monstrous Nightmare over her and Stoick remembered that Vikings – especially female Vikings – were a terrifying force to be reckoned with, when angered.

Astrid was a proud young Viking as all the Hoffersons were. She had been the benchmark against which all the other parents measured their own children, including Stoick himself.

Had she been born under his roof, then what a fine chief she would have made.

"Don't worry Hiccup, I'm coming for you son!" Stoick muttered as he rummaged through his war chest for the set of throwing axes Gobber had forged for him last year, "What happened? What in Thor's name happened?"

As he attached the leather bandoleer of small axes to his belt, a dark thought crossed his mind.

' _Pride was a dangerous thing! Perhaps Astrid was not as much of a victim as they all believed'._

For all he knew the girl had abandoned his son and fled like a coward when the dragon attacked them or more disturbingly, perhaps Astrid had lured Hiccup to a dragon nest and let the beast have its way with him, while she only put up a token resistance knowing Hiccup would die.

Stoick's paranoia ran riot as he girded himself for the hunt.

The possibilities of what happened were endless but there was one thing he did know for certain.

Hiccup was out there and he would find him. He was going on the hunt to find his son and he would slaughter anything or anyone that got in his way.

Little did he know that what really happened was beyond any scenario he could possibly comprehend.

* * *

 _ **( 30 minutes later) **_

A large group of Vikings were tearing through the woods at a quick pace, desperately retracing Astrid's steps to the scene of the supposed attack. It actually wasn't that hard a task as there were broken leaves and patches of blood splattered everywhere along the trail Astrid had used to return to the village. But when the trail suddenly went cold Stoick would turn to the struggling young girl being dragged along in the iron grip of his mighty hand.

Stoick had little patience when he was angry, but it shocked nearly everyone when he burst into Gothi's hut and insisted Astrid accompany the hunting party. Above the protests of the women and the village elder, Stoick more-or-less carried the bandaged up shield-maiden out of the hut and now was using her like some sort of catatonic hunting dog.

"Which way?" Stoick growled as they came to a fork in the trail. Neither path looked like it had been used recently.

"Which way girl?!" Stoick repeated louder this time as he shoved Astrid toward the diverging paths.

"Stoick!" Gobber urged "will you not ease off on her, the girl's clearly in shock, I doubt she can even remember her own name and you're upsetting the women folk!"

Gobber nodded his head in the direction of Hilda Hofferson, Magnahild Ingerman and Hildegard Thorston which were a few warriors back, their faces a mixture of fear, exasperation and disgust. The _'Three Hilds'_ as they were known were visibly shuddering trying to contain their pent up emotions, one wanting to just protect her daughter, one comforting her friend and one ready to slap the chief silly for his rough handling of the traumatised Astrid.

Stoick glanced at them then back to the path, unwilling or unable to meet the combined power of their glares.

"When we get there, she can go!" was all he grumbled as he felt their eyes burn into his back.

"What if we split up?" Gobber piped up again, "we can cover more ground faster and the women can take the lass home to rest."

"No!" Stoick replied firmly, "if there's a Nightfury out there, we need _**everyone together**_ to take it down! Only Astrid knows where it happened and I'm not wasting any more time than I have to!"

"Trees….trees…lots of trees!" A female sing-song voice broke the men's conversation "birds live in trees…..they fly and dive and swoop…make nests…..fly high…high in the sky!"

Stoick and Gobber turned back to the muttering Astrid as she walked in uneven circles between the two diverging paths. The girl was stumbling about in the long white tunic Gothi had given her, seeing her clothes had been ripped to shreds. Coupled with both her arms and much of her body being smothered in salves, balms and bandages, she looked more like some ghostly wraith than the energetic, fearless warrior in training everyone knew her to be.

Astrid stared upward, seeing rays of sunlight breaking through the canopy overhead. The tweeting of birds filtered through the branches and specks of blue sky teased their way into Astrid's ocean blue eyes.

"Such big wings, I bet _they_ fly really easy!" Astrid declared dreamily, letting her arms raise up as if she trying to touch the clouds, " _they'll_ fly all over…birds don't _really_ fly…..birds _think_ they fly …but not compared to Nightfuries! Oh…oh….oh…..Nightfuries _really_ fly!...they fly like nothing else…..birds can't match them!...Do birds get jealous? I'd be jealous if I was a bird and I saw _them_ flying, so unfair _them_ flying…."

"What do you mean child?" Stoick demanded impatiently stepping toward Astrid as she continued to wander about, "What about birds and Nightfuries? Which way to the dragon?!"

Astrid began to laugh, at first it was a light chuckle but it quickly evolved into a demented cackle and she fell to her knees clutching her stomach, still laughing yet wincing in pain as her broken ribs protested.

"Hiccup….Nightfury…..Gone…Back!" She rasped again starting another giggling fit.

"Not this again" Stoick muttered in exasperation.

"Hiccup…Nightfury…Gone…..Back" Astrid giggled louder as if her ranting was the punch line to some insanely funny joke.

Kneeling beside her again Stoick spoke as calmly as his frayed nerves would allow to snap the girl out of her lunacy.

"Come on Astrid! Remember! Where is Hiccup? Where is that dragon hiding?!"

"Hiding?" Astrid froze and looked at Stoick, a chord obviously being struck with the word.

"Yes, where is the dragon _**hiding?**_!" Stoick asked enthusiastically, praying he had said something useful.

A light seemed to spark in the girl's eyes again. A sign of something being remembered was marked by a wide smile of revelation splitting Astrid Hofferson's face. She looked exhilarated as one of her memories broke through the haze of her mind and spilled unrestrained out her mouth.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!...Ha ha ha ha!" Astrid crooned out in a playful, childlike tone, "Hiccup was always good at hiding!...always good…. but not so good he could hide from us forever!"

Astrid quickly whipped round and began stalking through the trees again. She whispered to people unseen as she called up to some invisible figure in the trees, a dark almost predatory look on her scarred face.

"Come on out my little useless….come, come, come down my little hic-hic-hiccup! Hah hah hah…we've got a surprise for you!"

Astrid titled her head as if she was listening to someone replying. Stoick watched this scene, his ire rising and his brows furrowing at the shield-maiden calling his son by his much hated nickname.

"Oh No!" Astrid declared in a mock-hurt tone "Of course we won't hurt you!...No not like the last time! We've got a present for you!"

Astrid's gaze now returned to ground level. She was now looking down and circling around her still invisible prey, her eyes still filled with malice and threat, forgetting her audience entirely.

"There you are! Now how's our favourite son of a chief? We've been looking for you everywhere!.. ...What?!...Of course we wouldn't forget your _birthday!_ Now close your eyes and hold out your hands!"

Astrid laughed a mocking, derisive laugh as she turned back to Stoick, stepping out of her little performance.

"And he does it, can you believe it?" she declared in sarcastic amazement, "After all the other times we beat him black and blue, he still comes out _and_ he closes his eyes _and_ he holds out his hands! Ha ha ha ha!...I mean come on!...he's got to be the stupidest Viking whose ever lived! He thinks were giving him a present! Ha ha ha! Well we do….but he knows he won't like it!"

Quickly Astrid was back in her scene as she swung her fist through the air at the same height where Hiccup's head would have been. She elicited a war cry as she watched the invisible body fall to the ground.

"Yah! Take that useless! Ha ha ha! And that!" she screamed as she began to kick at a branch at her feet, "Here's an extra special one for hiding from us last week and we couldn't find you!"

Astrid punched the ground.

"Take that useless!"

Astrid punched the ground again.

"And that!"

Astrid punched the ground again.

"And that! Come on Snotlout, Ruffnutt, Tuffnutt, Fishlegs, get stuck in! Ha ha ha!"

Stoick looked on horrified as he finally realised the dire import of Astrid's babbling and furious striking of the ground.

The chief cast his mind back and then it hit him like the girl hitting the ground. Last year on Hiccup's birthday the boy had disappeared for a few hours into the forest as he had the habit of doing. He came back looking very worse for wear simply mumbling he tried to climb up some rocks but fell instead. Hiccup spent a week in Gothi's hut before he was on the mend. Now Stoick new the real reason why.

' _They had been beating his son, his so-called friends, his peers, the ones who were destined to grow up with him and someday help him run the tribe. They were meant to follow him, protect him, and serve him when the time came. It was not meant to be like….._ _ **this!'**_

Still Astrid kept attacking the ground with devilish glee oblivious of what she had just confessed and to whom, her bandaged knuckles turning red and brown as mixtures of blood and soil stained her fists. Stoick snapped the girl from her dark reverie by grasping her and slamming her against a tree screaming at her.

" **YOU BEAT HICCUP? HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU!"**

" **IT WAS FUN!"** Astrid yelled in response as if she were talking about any idle hobby Berkians pursued like whittling or needlepoint, "Hiccup was going to end up dead from the dragons or one of his contraptions! Not even Stoick thought he was going to make it!...Sure he always said….."

Astrid dropped her voice to a low growl in a not very flattering impression of Stoick,

"….. _ **Hiccup would be the strongest of us all!**_ _….."_

Stoick flinched at the disrespectful tone his own words were being used with. He had held out hope the longest that his son would become something great and it always hurt him the most when Hiccup consistently didn't live up to those expectations. But he still loved his son and there was no way he would stand for some spoilt, arrogant, cruel child to mock both of them in such a manner.

"But Stoick doesn't really _believe that…_ not _really,"_ Astrid continued, her ferocity undaunted before leaning in as if sharing a great secret, "Oh! But don't tell Stoick that…he gets a bit angry when you tell him the truth! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Stoick was incandescent with rage and drew back his fist. He wanted nothing more than to crush the spiteful words out of Astrid by smashing her face apart. And with the iron gauntlets he was wearing, combined with his innate strength and a father's rage, he was going to do just that!

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **So it looks like things aren't looking good as we get a new insight into Hiccup and Astrid's past. It's interesting painting a nastier Astrid. it is true she doesn't comes across as very nasty in the movie but that's just so they get their love story going. I figured for this AU she only holds back in public to protect her image. who knows? We will see how things develop. the next chapter picks up from here and the discovery of a certain cove.**

 **As always any reviews P.M.'s and feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**


	6. Spy Games

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you are enjoying the story thus far**

 **many thanks to the small but enthusiastic group of reviewers and their awesome feedback. it always keeps me going to know you dudes are enjoying it!**

 **shout out to my buddy Supersandman, who correctly guessed what was happening but the juicy details are below. hope you like it man.**

 **As always any comments, reviews or P.M.'s are greatly appreciated.**

 **On with the show then**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Last time a traumatised and wounded Astrid was leading the Berkians through the forest after telling them of an attack that involved her, Hiccup and a Nightfury. Stoick became so angry at her revelations about her and Hiccup's past he going to punch her unto death. Will Stoick get the hit in? Where will the search lead them?**_

 _ **read on and find out!**_

* * *

 ** _Return of the Nightfuries_**

 ** _Part 6:_**

 ** _Spy games_**

"Why you despicable little….." Stoick growled at Astrid, his arm ready to deliver what would be a killer blow.

"Stoick! Don't!...I said Don't!" A male voiced from behind him ordered firmly.

Before the chief could slam his fist into Astrid's face, Gobber quickly snatched Astrid away and looked at her dead in the eyes.

"Astrid please tell us!" the old blacksmith begged, "forget about Hiccup hiding! Where is the _dragon_ hiding? We need to find it and get Hiccup back!"

"Ok ok ok ok ok yes yes yes!" Astrid complained as she wriggled out Gobber's grasp "I'll show you where Hiccup's hiding the dragon! This way! come on, come on, come on!...Oh he is in so much trouble when I tell Stoick!"

With that, Astrid took off down the left hand fork that led in the direction of the isolated Raven's point. Very quickly the path disappeared and they were all scrambling through the undergrowth of the tightly packed trees, Astrid leading the way with Gobber behind her, ensuring he acted as a solid human shield against the rage filled Stoick as he prowled after them, his numerous weapons and armour clinking dangerously in the quiet of the forest.

As they walked Astrid was grabbing against trees, ripping up bushes by the roots and snapping branches , looking in every direction yet still inexorably drawn on one particular bearing. Gobber and Stoick listened intently as she babbled almost non-stop, her voice dripping with anger and malice.

Couldn't take it anymore….Gothi chose him… _him!_ …scrawny useless fishbone…..so gonna beat the stuffing out of him!... he won't walk for weeks when I'm done….crowd was cheering so loudly…should have been me!... _should have been me_ …. thought he could sneak away…but I'm the best tracker there is….so I follow him…..typical he runs home… _useless coward!_ …..thinks he can hide there…..not anymore, oh no, no no!…but I'm a smart Viking! so I climbs up the roof….look in his bedroom window…..see him…..Gonna jump in teach him a lesson but then I hear his stupid mumbling….how it's _'all going wrong'_ …..how he _'wasn't meant to be chosen'…'it's all so messed up!'..._ how he _'wouldn't kill a dragon!'_

Gobber exchanged a bewildered glance back at Stoick whose visage seemed to darken even further in the shadows of the tightly packed trees. He wasn't sure what made the chief angrier; the fact that Astrid was spying on his son or the accusation that Hiccup had a negative attitude towards his final initiation in dragon training.

"Blasphemy!" Astrid yelled in righteous indignation snapping Gobber's attention back, "ungrateful little swine!….doesn't want to slay the dragon…inconceivable!...… then he's mumbling about _'getting away'_ and he's packing up a basket….throwing all sorts in….clothes, tools, books and burning other stuff….little runt is running away?!….Ha! I'll show him….but before I can jump him, he runs out of the house…"

Astrid stopped, spun on her heel and grabbed Gobber's tunic speaking quietly but intensely into the face of the stunned forge-master.

"But then if he runs away?...I get to kill the dragon! YES!...so I should let him…..so I spy…...I spy with my little eye something beginning with…..Hiccup going to the forge!…..and he's in there for ages and I hear clattering and banging and burning in the furnace…..he doesn't see me!...I spying him so he doesn't see me he when comes out with more stuff in the basket…..its heavier now…I can tell….he's finding it hard to carry….Hah! weak useless runt…..not strong enough….only the strong belong!…..right Gobber?... _only the strong belong!…."_

Astrid threw Gobber off and returned to trudging through the trees her now voice cold and harsh as it so often was during dragon training.

"Well I'm strong and he's not!...I belong and he doesn't….so I'll make sure he knows he doesn't belong...if he runs then that's the best for everyone…...but _why?_ …... _How_ did he do it?…...gotta know, gotta find out, gotta get ahead of him…...figure out where he's going so I get a ahead of him…..find the place…..find the cove….find a big boulder…..get into position to surprise him….gotta beat the truth out of him if it's the last thing I do….no more lies…no more tricks…only the truth…..YES!...the truth….the…..truth…..yes, yes, yes,….."

Gobber had gotten more and more disturbed as he listened to Astrid's rantings. He had no idea the beautiful Hofferson child before him had such an ugly vicious streak in her, especially in regards to Hiccup. This was clearly very different to the public image that had surrounded the girl for most of her life. Sure she had not been the kindest of Vikings when it came to the heir, but the old blacksmith figured if anyone would have cut Hiccup a break it would have been Astrid. Obviously he was wrong. But what unnerved him even more was Astrid revealing to them that it looked like Hiccup was planning to run away.

Gobber couldn't understand what would possess his young apprentice to runaway especially after becoming so proficient in dragon training, winning the respect of his fellow tribesmen and especially Stoick. There was something deeper going on, Gobber was certain, but he couldn't place his hook on it right now.

"Ah hah!" Astrid declared snapping Gobber and his fellow Vikings from their collective reverie, "Here! Here we are, here…..here… shush now!...Gotta be so quiet if I'm gonna sneak up on that scrawny brat!"

By now Astrid had led them to a large circular canyon that seemed to been carved out of the earth by the gods themselves. Immediately Astrid climbed down and was pursued by the hunting party. Stoick ordered some remain on the ridge to watch out in case the Nightfury was still in the woods.

"No point in giving it the high ground so easily!" He urged cautiously to his men who nodded in the affirmative, weapons drawn and ready.

As they entered they saw the remnants of what was obviously a very violent confrontation. There were claw marks dug into the earth and into the sheer rock walls, craters littered the ground where the earth had been scorched. Black dragon scales and blood stains were spattered here and there along with the remnants of Astrid's original clothing. Her axe was nowhere to be found.

Gobber picked up a distorted hunk of metal and realised it was one of Astrid's metal shoulder guards.

"Odin's beard! Look at this!"

Gobber held it toward Stoick who examined it. The once pristine steel had been flattened and buckled. Along the cracks in the armour three distinct indents could be made out.

"Dragon bite!" Gobber concluded "Strong one at that, most probably a Nightfury."

Ignoring the babbling girl for a moment, Gobber, Stoick and the others surveyed the cove with interest.

"Impressive lair Stoick" Gobber intoned as he analysed the cove, "Isolated, remote, perfectly shielded from the outside world by closely knit trees, fresh water stream, caves for food and shelter. A perfect place for a dragon to hide!"

"No!" Astrid yelled indignantly striding back to them "No, no, no! Not for a dragon to hide…to hide a dragon!...you guys are as stupid as Stoick…he doesn't know…doesn't see!"

"Well why don't you show us!" Stoick growled, giving up on Astrid recognizing him altogether, "Make us see!"

"OK!" Astrid chirped with an overly dramatic gesture and a yelp of childish pride "…so this is what happened….prepare to be amazed!..."

Astrid then ran around behind a large boulder and ducked down, the rest of her Viking audience following to observe this bizarre performance, Hilda Hofferson foremost amongst them, desperate to learn what had reduced her once perfect child to this erratic, babbling wreck of a human being.

Astrid looked to her audience and grinned enthusiastically becoming completely enraptured in the act of telling her tale.

"So I'm hiding by this boulder and I hear _useless_ coming…..and he's muttering to himself as usual…so when he gets closer….he says he is…..

* * *

 **Da da dahhhhh! cliffhanger Mofo's!**

 **I hope you liked this part as it covers a gap in the original movie that no-one really ever talks about. just how did Astrid beat Hiccup to the cove? She spied on him and tracked him through the woods before racing ahead to surprise him.**

 **Now the next arc of chapters, entitled 'Begging' is going to show you exactly how Astrid received her wounds. I warn you now the chapters will contain suggestive themes, violence, some mild swearing and bit of blood but not so bad that will stay within my 'T' rating. Trust me when I say the S*** is really gonna hit the fan(fiction)!**

 **so fair warning guys.**

 **As always any Feedback, reviews or P.M.'s are great appreciated. I love conversing with you guys and it keeps me invigorated to keep going.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	7. Begging PT1

**Hey guys!**

 **Back again for more action with Return of the Nightfuries written with the help of my good buddy Zyonzillia.** **It's so great you guys are enjoying things and now we are getting to the really good bit of the story that we have been building up to so far.**

 **It's time for the S*** to hit the fan(fiction)! This chapter starts a four part arc called 'Begging' with each chapter being** **named after a song or a line from a song I like that fits. other songs will follow.**

 _ **Writers note:**_

 _ **I change the POV of this story between a General POV and Toothless' POV as he watches what happens. Imagine the General POV is a version of what the Berkians are being told by Astrid and Toothless' POV is just a special treat for you readers. I tried to write this entire arc from Astrid's first person POV but it failed miserably and I wanted to convey the deeper thoughts and feelings of the characters so it's just a general third-person narrative which should be fine.**_

 _ **As always any reviews, P.M.'s and reviews are greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Last time, Astrid finally led Stoick, Gobber and the others to the cove where the remains of a fierce confrontation could be seen.**_

 _ **Astrid also revealed how and what she found out about Hiccup and that he was planning to run away before killing the Monstrous Nightmare.**_

 _ **How will our favourite Shield-maiden and Dragon Trainer react to each other? Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **Part 7-**_

 _ **Begging Part 1:**_

 _ **Straighten up and fly right**_

 _ **ASTRID'S POV**_

"So I'm hiding by this boulder and I hear _useless_ coming…..and he's muttering to himself as usual…so when he gets closer….he says he is….."

* * *

 _ **Flashback, 2 hours ago, The Cove **_

_**GENERAL POV**_

"...Leaving! We're so leaving…me and you bud! It looks like were taking a little vacation…forever!" Hiccup mumbled as he trudged dejectedly into the cove.

Opening the pack he had spent the better part of the morning loading up with everything he believed he would need, Hiccup double checked all was secure still muttering to himself. He knew Toothless could hear him and understand due his enhanced dragon hearing and high intelligence.

"I just can't kill that dragon…..I….just…..I have to leave…Berk won't miss me…nobody will."

Hiccup sealed his pack and stood to take in one last look at his beautiful sanctuary, savouring the happy times he had spent here with Toothless. It was second most beautiful thing he had ever known and it broke his heart to leave it. Now all he had to do was find his elusive Nightfury-best friend, rig up his baggage and be on his way.

"I guess I could come back some day, maybe, once I figure things…."

But just as he said that, he heard the high pitched scraping sound of a whetstone grinding on metal. Snapping his head up, he nervously saw the first most beautiful thing he had ever known. There, sitting on a large boulder framed in the light of the Mid-day sun was Astrid Hofferson. True, she was one his bullies but that didn't stop her from being as beautiful as any Valkyrie in Valhalla.

As Hiccup let his eyes wander up her body, they widened in fear when they reached her face and he was immediately transfixed at the stone cold blue eyes glaring harshly down at him.

"Ah…Uh….As….Ah…..Astrid! HEY!...I mean…..Hey! Wha…..wha….what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked, his words falling out of his mouth like a crashed apple cart spilling its contents.

"I want to know what's going on" Astrid declared coldly, drawing the whetstone over her axe blade one final time before jumping down and beginning to stalk her prey like the hunter she was.

"No-one just gets good as you do, ESPECIALLY YOU!" Astrid growled dangerously as she backed the stuttering Hiccup toward the cliff face.

"Are you training with someone? START TALKING! It better not involve this!" the shield-maiden threatened as she grabbed Hiccup's leather flight harness and used it to shove him against the wall earning him a light knock to the back of the head.

Wincing, Hiccup was going to reach up to soothe his aching scalp but was stopped as Astrid pinned his neck with the blades of her axe.

"Argh!...Ok…urgh…! you got me!" Hiccup rasped as he struggled to breathe "...I've been making….. Outfits… So….. ARGHhhhhh!"

Hiccup yelped in pain as Astrid buried her fist in his stomach. Releasing her axe and setting it aside, Hiccup slumped to the ground, gasping for air. He stayed there unmoving. He wasn't hurt too bad but he figured if he didn't move or played dead Astrid would storm off or back away enough for him to convince her to leave before Toothless showed up.

However such great plans were often undermined the simplest of flaws and the biggest, simplest flaw in this plan was Astrid Hofferson was in no mood to let Hiccup go this time. This was spelt out in its plainest terms when Hiccup saw Astrid's thick boot collide with his stomach for the first time.

And then a second time.

And then a third time.

And then a fourth time.

Each time the Astrid brought her foot into his body, the kicks got stronger, the pain went deeper and Hiccup's heart broke harder.

"DON'T YOU SIT THERE AND LIE TO ME YOU USELESS. LITTLE. RUNT!" Astrid screamed as her face contorted in a snarl of rage and hatred.

"OUTFITS?!" she yelled in consternation, "you really think I'm going believe something as stupid as outfits?! If you're going to lie to me then at least think of something better than that _hic-hic-hiccup!"_

Hiccup groaned in pain from the verbal jab as well as the physical one, yet Astrid continued her verbal diatribe.

"And I thought you were meant to be the smartest out of all of us" she hissed sarcastically, "I mean I knew you would try and lie your way out of this but I never thought it would be with something as _lame_ as that! Don't you dare try and deny it!"

Through watering eyes Hiccup saw Astrid grab him by his harness again and felt instantly dizzy as he was yanked up to his feet by the taller shield maiden.

"Astrid….please don't" Hiccup begged, close to tears "….I don't want to ruin…."

"WHAT?" Astrid interrupted violently "Ruin what Hiccup?...You've already ruined my life by stealing the glory that rightfully should have been _mine!_ That was _always_ mine! You've taken something dear to me and I'm going to take it out of your skin!"

"Astrid don't…I'm sorry…please….just listen!"

Hiccup's protests were silenced again by a series of viscous punches to the gut and some hard slaps to the face before he was slammed once more against the wall of the cliff.

By now Astrid was practically holding Hiccup up which wasn't too difficult for her. However this brought her body so close to Hiccup that he could feel her hot breath on his face, could smell the honey and lavender from her hair, could feel her breasts rubbing against his chest as she breathed deeply from her exertions. The intensity of the whole scenario coupled with his adolescent fantasies that were a part of every young man's growing up, inevitably made Hiccup's body react in the most embarrassing way possible.

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

From deep within his cave, the Nightfury had watched the whole encounter play out.

Toothless knew that Hiccup desired one of the females in his clan. His pheromones reeked of it, but the boy was such a shy and timid creature, Toothless feared Hiccup lacked the fortitude to stake a claim on her. It was another thing that allowed the Nightfury to relate to his boy.

For they were both of an age when mating was an important issue for them. The experience of mating was not unknown to the Nightfury. Toothless had mated before. He just had 'other issues' to deal with. But that was a different matter to be addressed at a different time for he was solely focused on the female newcomer in his cove.

The Nightfury had listened for long hours, as his boy spoke of a _'divine beauty'_ and seeing this attractive female human had found her way here, Toothless assumed she was going to initiate some form of mating ritual with Hiccup. A mixture of pride and hope swelled in the dragon's breast for his best friend. He had seen the red aura of desire and love erupt from Hiccup when he first saw the female on the boulder. Clearly it was going to be a heartfelt moment and the Nightfury felt priviledged to witness this important development of his best friend.

However as the encounter progressed and became more violent, with Hiccup on the receiving end of the abuse, Toothless began to get more worried. The female didn't exactly give off the right aura for mating, rather than red it was purplish in hue, a colour of domination and control. Perhaps this was how the auras for mating humans looked? The girl did seem intent on _possessing_ Hiccup, that much was clear and the boy's passionate aura had only seemed to increase as the physical contact continued.

However the Nightfury could not shake the feeling something was amiss. But rather than intervene, Toothless elected to continue watching. For Dragon mating rituals were complicated affairs as well. Indeed there were some species that wholly relied on females being the dominant one of the pair. And of course dragon mating rituals did, from time to time, result in some injuries so Toothless assumed they were no less complicated or dangerous for humans as well. To interfere at what was obviously a delicate stage in the ritual might jeopardize his boy's prospects.

Yet the Nightfury inched closer to the cave mouth, ready to help if his boy requested.

' _It's not as if this encounter could get any worse!'_ reasoned the inquisitive dragon.

' _Could it?'_

* * *

 ** _Well, we will just have to wait and see won't we my friends?_**

 ** _Clearly Astrid and Hiccup are gearing up for a pretty physical confrontation judging by the opening exchanges and Toothless seems just as curious._**

 ** _I hope you like what's happening so far._**

 ** _Once again thanks for taking the time read this story and for leaving a review if you can._**

 ** _any comments are greatly appreciated_**

 ** _next upload should be in about a week._**

 ** _Til next time,_**

 ** _Take care of yourselves and each other._**


	8. Begging PT2

_**Hey guys!**_

 _ **Back again with the next part of Return of the Nightfuries done with my friend Zyonzillia.**_

 _ **As always any reviews, P.M.'s, comments or feedback are greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Hope you like this next bit, cause things are going get a bit heavy.**_

 _ **WARNING:**_

 _ **This chapter contains mild violence and suggestive themes but enough to stay within a 'T' rating.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Last time Astrid had ambushed Hiccup at the cove, demanding answers in her typical, physically aggressive way.**_

 ** _H_** ** _owever Hiccup began to respond in a_** ** _physically e_** ** _mbarrassing way,_**

 _ **while Toothless observed in a fascinated analytical way.**_

 _ **whose way will win out?**_

 _ **read on and see!**_

* * *

 _ **Part 8 - Begging Part 2:**_

 _ **No-one knows what it's like**_

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

Hiccup's thoughts were a veritable war-ground as he fought to control himself emotionally and physically.

' _Please don't…..not now….oh God's no….don't let her see…..I think she's broken my ribs…..no no no no….sweet Thor she is rubbing so close to me…no don't think about it….her hair smells amazing….my nose is broken…..don't react….especially down there…oh gods no it's happening!'_

"What are you doing you idiot?!" Astrid growled into Hiccup's face, "Open your eyes and STOP MUMBLING!"

"Astrid, please….I can't!" Hiccup whimpered.

"You can't what?" Astrid demanded, frustration heavy in her tone before something suddenly stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait…..what is that?"

Slowly Astrid looked down as did Hiccup who quickly turned his gaze away when he saw _it._

Then Astrid saw _it_.

Down below Hiccup's waist an obvious bulge had started to grow. Astrid snapped her head up back to face him, her eyes narrowed.

"Are you?...Are you getting _turned on_ by this Hiccup?" Astrid asked in surprise.

"I…no….I just…sorry…you're so….and I…..I just…..I…I lo" Hiccup stuttered, his ability to talk being over-written by his inability to control his rampaging biology.

"Shush….shush now…." Astrid cooed, interrupting the mortified boy in her grip. Hiccup was surprised at the warm radiant smile that crept across her face. "…..it's ok Hiccup," the shield-maiden continued with heart-melting tenderness, her face inching ever closer to his "you're a boy and I'm a girl…its ok….it's ok to feel that way."

"It….It is?" Hiccup asked nervously, fighting hard to contain the blushes that were clouding his checks in red.

"Of course it is Hiccup" Astrid crooned seductively.

Astrid leaned in the last couple of inches and planted a soft kiss on Hiccup's cheek that threw him into an even deeper abyss of ecstasy. The adrenaline racing through his body from his wounds coupled with his raging hormones seemed to dull any physical pain he was in.

And he was in a lot of pain.

Astrid lowered her voice to a whisper as she leaned even closer and the bulge in Hiccup's trousers got bigger.

"It's nice that that you feel that way about me….Do you know why?"

"Why?" Hiccup asked desperately, his body trembling, his anticipation reaching a fever pitch.

"Because it gives me a chance to do this! HAH!"

Hiccup's world of ecstasy came crashing down around him as the searing, mind-blowing pain from Astrid kneeing him harshly in the groin, made his senses explode and his body double over on itself. Taking that movement and adding her own momentum, Astrid cast Hiccup brutally into the middle of the clearing, leaving him to clutch between his legs and writhe on the ground, moaning in tear soaked agony.

Astrid watched the pitiful display of the young man before her with a look of cold disdain. Picking up her axe from where she set it down, she loomed over Hiccup, her voice like iron.

"You really think I would ever be attracted to someone like you?" Astrid shouted derisively, "You really think I would ever let you touch me, feel me, be with _me?_ A shield-maiden! A Valkyrie! One of Odin's greatest warriors? You've had some dangerously insane delusions in your time Hiccup but that has to be the worst I've ever heard!"

"But….but…I lo…I Lo…I love you Astrid!" Hiccup rasped desperately as he looked up at his tormentor's perfectly sculpted figure, begging with his eyes for some, _any_ kind of understanding or compassion.

 _ **TOOTHLESS POV**_

 _'Surely that would do it now!'_ the Nightfury thought.

A declaration of love was the natural ending for these sorts of confrontations and so the violence would stop and the 'proper mating' would begin.

At least that was what the Nightfury hoped was going to happen. Though it had happened in an unorthodox way, his hatchling human had finally found the strength to make his feelings clear to the female he desired.

But then everything about Hiccup was unorthodox so Toothless really shouldn't have been surprised.

 _'The female's aura will change now',_ Toothless mused to himself, _'she will cease her hostilities, return my boy's affections and then I would have two humans as allies!'_

This was good. Things were finally looking up.

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

"Did you hear me Astrid?" Hiccup rasped still clutching his groin "I love you!"

' _Surely that would make her stop,'_ the boy dared to hope as he gazed into Astrid's eyes, longing for some spark of emotion or some form of emotional connection.

But the eyes that met him were nothing more than dark blue whirlpools of hatred that seemed determined to devour his very soul.

"What are we, _six years old?!"_ Astrid Hofferson was not known for her sarcasm. But the deeply sarcastic, rhetorical nature of her question left Hiccup in no doubt just how much scorn she held for his affections.

"Get this straight Hiccup! You aren't _allowed_ to love me or even _think_ about me!" the shield-maiden ordered in a tone that eerily echoed his father's scolding chief-like voice, "You're nothing but a weak, useless, screw-up . I bet your mother is looking down from Valhalla and hating the pathetic waste of space you've become. Once a hiccup always a hiccup!"

' _Once a hiccup, always a hiccup'._

That phrase poured out of her mouth with such venom and such certainty that Hiccup felt he had been stabbed in the chest with a Deadly Nadder spine. The icy feeling spread out from his heart and Hiccup felt his stomach ripple as it swirled there for a few moments before plunging into his arms and legs, washing over the burning heat in his face, submerging him in total, cold, numbing misery.

At first Hiccup couldn't say anything, so shocked was he by Astrid's words. All he could do was roll over on his side and try to crawl away for his tormentor. Such a meak display only served to make Astrid emit a deep mocking laugh and the further Hiccup tried to crawl the more she laughed. Eventually Hiccup managed to haul himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the boulder Astrid had surprised him on.

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

' _This was not how things were supposed to go!_ '

That much was clear to the Nightfury as it fought desperately against its more bestial instincts to dive forward and rip this disgusting little female limb from limb for humiliating and abusing his human.

Toothless knew humans were crude and violent and unsavoury but he also knew they were capable of great acts of love and compassion. He had seen it in the fires of the raids, where females would jump in front their wounded mates or Vikings would dive heedlessly into burning buildings to save the hatchlings of other humans they didn't even know. And above all he had seen it in the amazing young human boy that had given everything he had to fix his tail fin and help him return to the sky.

Even while contemplating this bizarre duality, Toothless never took his eyes of Hiccup. The dragon became more upset, as not only did the female keep striking Hiccup, but as he was forced to crawl on the floor like a beaten hatchling, the aura around his boy had begun to change colour. Where once, there was an unbroken aura of red, streaks of black began to radiate out from Hiccup's core, like black ripples on a red pond. His boy was changing before his eyes. He could sense it, see it, smell it.

Every instinct and urge Toothless felt to intervene had to be ruthlessly repressed by the Nightfury.

This was Hiccup's life,

Hiccup's test,

Hiccup's choice.

Toothless could practically taste the salt in Hiccup's tears as they fell down his small human face.

Hiccup was leaning on a boulder now, his back to his oppressor as she prepared for another assault. Every muscle in the Nightfury's body tensed and coiled like a spring, ready to launch.

The Nightfury knew the right moment would come soon and he would be ready.

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

Astrid paced slowly towards the forlorn Hiccup who was barely able to keep himself upright. He was hunched over the boulder, his back to her.

' _Front? Back? It didn't really matter!'_ She would hit him anywhere if it got her the answers she wanted.

"I must admit, you always knew how to take a beating well _useless!"_ Astrid intoned in mock respect, _"_ Next time I'll make you scream louder, especially now I know _where_ to hit you."

"Astrid! Please stop!" Hiccup pleaded, his hand held out defensively "I'm leaving….ok? You can kill the Monstrous Nightmare! It's all yours! The kill, the honour, the glory, the fame….. Take it all!... Just leave me alone! ….Please!"

"Oh no you don't Hiccup!" Astrid snapped, malice oozing from her throat, "You see, once I'm done, I'm going to drag you back to Stoick and tell him how you were cheating in dragon training and how you were trying to run away. And _then_ when he hears about your impure intentions toward _me,_ he'll not let you out of your house for a full year!"

"No!" Hiccup whimpered, the tears falling uncontrollably down his face now. But still Astrid continued, relishing every torment filled word.

"And when he does finally let you out? You can be sure in the knowledge me, Snotlout and the others will ready and waiting for you! And then we can start this whole dance all…over…again!"

Astrid smiled as she pictured the look of panic and fear dance across the shuddering young heir's face. It was a look she had cultivated for a long time. If this weak fishbone was going to be chief of the tribe one day, then she would have to break him early in life to ensure she could manipulate him for her family's benefit when the time came. It would mean she could keep her shield-maiden's vows but still hold a powerful sway over how things got done if necessary.

"Or the other option is you can tell me exactly how you're beating the dragons and I might put in a good word for you so Stoick will only ground you for a month. Either way I win!" Astrid smirked triumphantly.

"Thank-you for summing that up! Neither is really a winning option for me though," Hiccup drawled. Well versed in facing such unbridled malice, Hiccup - after years of experience - couldn't help but fall back on his trademark sarcasm.

"You winning was _never_ an option!" Astrid retorted, "Now, for last time, tell me what you are doing with the dragons! Tell me right now you stupid, useless disgrace for a Viking! Tell me or you are going wish you were never even born! **Just like all the rest of us!"**

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

 _'That did it!'_

Toothless realised that what the female just shouted at Hiccup had finally transformed his aura from an uncertain mixture of dark reds to a pool of pure jet black, like the scales that covered his own body. He had never seen Hiccup's aura such a shade before. It had been deep shades of unhappy blue, depressive dark grey, sorrowful brown but never this 'hatefully' black. It enraged, concerned and frightened the dragon in equal measure that his beloved boy had been pushed this far.

As keenly as his eyes could see, Toothless could have sworn his dragon ears heard Hiccup's heart literally break into a thousand pieces.

Toothless had the answer to his question.

Thinks had indeed gotten worse.

Now it was just a matter of how much _further_ things were going to go!

* * *

 _ **Uh OH!**_

 _ **This doesn't look good at all.**_

 _ **Many thanks to everyone who took the time to read this story and leave a review. I love reading what you guys think and it only makes me want to write more.**_

 _ **Next time we see what the true consequences of Astrid's actions are and they aren't gonna be pretty!**_

 _ **Til next time,**_

 _ **Take care of yourselves and each other.**_

 _ **P.S. I hear the new series of Dragons: Race to the edge has started. I'm looking forward to seeing it but it may be a while. these stories don't really take that show into account as they diverge from the first movie. but we will see what happens. I hope the show is good and I look forward to seeing it eventually. No spoilers in the comments please.**_


	9. Begging PT3

**Hey guys!**

 **Many thanks for all your amazing feedback for Return of the Nightfuries written with my good friend Zyonzillia**

 **It's been great to read your comments and I thank you all for taking the time to leave something after reading the story.**

 **Warning: this chapter contains a swear word. it also contains three quotations from 3 popular movies (yes my quotations game is alive and well in this fanfic too! ha!) so bonus repsect points to those who can identify them.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 _ **Last time Astrid's closeness got a very 'provocative' reaction from Hiccup which she responded to with the usual Hofferson aggression, stamping harshly on Hiccup's soul and his declaration of love for her.**_

 _ **This was further cast aside as Astrid basically told him that she along with everyone else on Berk wished Hiccup hadn't even been born.**_

 _ **Stunned, Hiccup was heart-broken and even Toothless could see his boy had been forever scarred.**_

 _ **But what will Hiccup and Toothless do now?**_

 _ **Read on and see!**_

* * *

 _ **Part 9 - Begging Part 3:**_

 _ **The Humbling River**_

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

"Now tell me what you know about the dragons!" Astrid demanded, her voice confident, like the victor of a great duel.

At first Hiccup said nothing so Astrid took a loud threatening step forward. She would spin him round and start the whole cycle over again if that's what it took. But a voice a stopped her. It was little more than a strained whisper but its power was undeniable.

"WHY?" Hiccup rasped.

"What do you mean _why?"_ Astrid asked in exasperation, "Have you even been listening? Tell me what I want to know!"

"What's it to you Astrid?!" Hiccup spoke louder, finally turning to face her, his green eyes afire with a rage and hatred that gave the shield-maiden pause. "Since when did you even _start_ caring about Hiccup _the useless_ and what he knows?" he questioned her, daring her to speak. When Astrid didn't immediately respond, it was Hiccup's turn to take a step and he just managed to lurch one uneven pace toward her, his body protesting painfully as he did so.

"You've always had to do everything by yourself, _oooooh great!…..oooooh strong….oooooh beautiful_ Astrid! You're so damn smart? YOU FIGURE IT OUT!" He yelled, his voice thick with condescension and sarcastic mockery. "In fact! Let's all bow down before the Odin blessed wisdom of the almighty, _fearless_ Astrid Hofferson! _Oooooooh_ may the nine realms tremble before her all-powerful skill with the axe and her pure, unassailable virginity!"

"Watch your tongue Hiccup!" Astrid retorted, twirling her axe by her side, "you may the son of the chief, but that doesn't mean you have to be in one piece when you become chief!"

"And whoever said I _wanted_ to become chief?!" Hiccup hissed darkly.

"Excuse me?" Astrid asked, truly taken aback by his words.

"You heard me!" Hiccup groaned as he lurched forward another step wincing as he did so, yet unflinching in his anger, "Whoever said I wanted to become chief of a tribe of thick-headed, ugly, stinking, illiterate, brutish, yak-brained, stubborn, uncaring, heartless, savage, dung-eaters who would rather kill the whole world than try and actually live in it?!"

Again stunned silence was the only thing Astrid had to offer in response besides the scornful, disdainful look on her face as Hiccup continued.

"You've already told me how little I matter!" Hiccup smiled a cruel parody of his lop sided grin, "No-body gives a damn about what _I_ want, so why should give a damn what _you_ want? YOU HEARTLESS, CRUEL, UGLY, LITTLE, BITCH!"

Now shaken from her shock by her trademark anger Astrid snarled back at Hiccup's insult "you call me an UGLY BITCH? How dare you?!"

"I'm STILL not finished!" Hiccup yelled. "I've finally done something right with my life and you're trying to ruin it!...But I won't let you!...I won't let you take this away from me the way you've taken _everything else_ away from me. …...I've one last thing to say to you Astrid _oooooh 'Divine Beauty!'_ …Yes!...I am training with someone…but that someone is not human!"

Astrid scoffed derisively at Hiccup's cryptic words shaking her head "Finally gone mad I see! Looks like you're gonna be a one legged son a chief! Yaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

As soon as Astrid unleashed her war-cry, she charged at Hiccup raising her axe above her head. She wasn't going to kill him. Maybe take out an eye at best, take off a limb at worst. Either way to her, he would always be the same old useless hiccup with no-one in the world to help or defend him.

But as Astrid charged Hiccup finally gave up all of his hope and compassion for his long time crush and his tribe by unleashing his own war-cry and it was answered instantaneously.

Hiccup screamed a name.

"TOOTHLESS!'

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

 _'There it was!'_

Toothless never thought it would happen this way. But it had happened _and_ right in front of him no less!

The last real tie this cruel place had on his boy had finally, albeit brutally, been severed. No longer would this wretched hive of scum and villainy be the bane of Hiccup's existence.

Hiccup had made his choice now.

Hiccup had chosen the dragons, Hiccup had chosen him and now Toothless was going show his beloved boy what the true meaning of loyalty, sacrifice and love really was. Leaping forward he would show just what it meant to be the best friend of the unholy offspring of Lightening and Death it-self!

 _ **NORMAL POV**_

Astrid was only a few feet away from Hiccup when a huge shadow exploded up behind him. Skidding to a halt, the irate shield-maiden stared wide-eyed in fear as the shadow unfurled huge bat-like wings, bared vicious razor sharp teeth that shimmered like silver, regarded her with eyes that glowed green like St. Arvendales fire and made her legs shiver as it let out a deep blood curdling roar.

Stepping back slowly, axe raised in defence, her mouth agape at the sight, Astrid finally gave a name to the shadow that haunted the dreams of her and every other Viking alive.

"N-n-n-n-Nightfury!"

"Astrid – Toothless – Toothless – Astrid" Hiccup drawled sarcastically gesturing with his hands to each of them in introduction.

Astrid saw the grin across her former victim's face and with remarkable speed - for a Viking - she felt the pieces of the puzzle fit awkwardly into place.

 _'The suspicious behaviour, disappearing for hours on end every afternoon, an understanding of dragons that surpassed even Gobber himself, coupled with the fact that the dragon wasn't ripping Hiccup apart along with the saddle it wore could only mean one thing!'_

Somehow, Hiccup...Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third...Hiccup the useless ** _...had trained a dragon!_**

Quickly Astrid glanced over her shoulder and cursed inwardly at how faraway she was to the cove's entrance. If she moved fast enough she figured she might be able to make a break for it.

However Hiccup spotted her look and with a voice oozing with bitterness he spoke softly.

"Toothless. Why don't you introduce yourself properly?"

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

 _'But of course.'_ the Nightfury crooned to itself.

Toothless snarled with wicked glee and before this nasty little human called _'Astrid'_ moved another inch, he lunged forward and pinned her down by the shoulders, glaring at her with all the rage and hate his dragon-heart could muster.

The ebony dragon didn't feel the young warrior struggling under his considerable weight. He barely contained a deep rumbling draconic laugh as the girl snarled and groaned, her every attempt to get free proving to be completely ineffective.

His armoured hide didn't even register her pitiful attempts to wriggle, punch or kick her way free.

Not to mention the best thing about being a dragon was that, unlike humans, it didn't hurt if anyone tried to kick him between the legs!

 _"How does it feel to be the 'useless' one now human?!"_ the Nightfury warbled humorously, licking his lips and ensuring his teeth hovered as closely as possible to Astrid's angry yet uncertain eyes.

 ** _GENERAL POV_**

Hiccup stalked up to the pinned shield-maiden and wrenched Astrid's axe from her hand. It had once been too heavy for him to wield, but after years of work in the forge since crafting it he held the weapon with surprising ease. Running his hands along the flat of the blade Hiccup took in his bloody, bruised face as it reflected back at him in the flawlessly polished steel.

"This was my favourite creation!" he declared mournfully "I spent so many sleepless nights working on it knowing it was for you...I thought it would finally show that I could be worth something...that I was more than just all…. _this!_ "

Astrid continued to squirm as she watched Hiccup stare and gesture at himself. The pressure on her shoulders was becoming unbearable despite her shoulder guards taking most of the black dragon's mass.

"Now I see…..it was not me that was unworthy….it was _you!_ " Hiccups eyes narrowed and his voice became harder and colder than anything Astrid had ever heard, "It was _all of you_! My father, my clan, my tribe, my entire home. None of you are worthy of what I can do! The only one who ever made me feel any kind of worth was a dragon and a Nightfury of all things! The only creature that truly knows and cares for me is the unholy offspring of Lightening and Death itself!"

"HICCUP! you traitor!" Astrid screamed, her rage giving her extra energy for her desperate yet futile struggling, "you've sided with these beasts?! You're a traitor! To your own people….arugh!...Let me go!"

"I'm the traitor?! Hiccup shouted incredulously, "I've been betrayed by everyone here since the day I was born…..and _you_ have the nerve to call me traitor? One day they will be sorry, they will _ALL_ be so sorry!"

" _Oooooooh_ wadda you gonna do _hic-hic-hiccup?!_ Talk them all into submission?!" Astrid mocked defiantly, "Like that will ever happen! NOW. LET. ME. UP!"

"YOU DON'T GET TO JOKE! NOT TODAY!" Hiccup shouted with equal ferocity looming over her pinned body making Astrid wince slightly, "and you're not the one to be making demands Astrid! Dragons are not the mindless killers….humans are!"

Toothless snarled loudly bringing his jaws closer to Astrid's face. She could feel the hot, fish tainted air hissing through his teeth, making her nose wrinkle and her stomach churn in fear and disgust. Yet she would not admit defeat. Not here. Not to the weak _Hiccup the useless!_

Astrid's face twisted in a sneer as she spat her words out "well come on then Haddock! Prove it! Kill me! Come on!...Do it, kill me!...I'm right here!...Come on!...Kill me!"

Hiccup, stunned by Astrid's defiance, stepped back turning his head away as she yelled her challenge.

A grin spread across Astrid's face as she saw Hiccup's hesitation and once again her deep mocking laugh echoed around the natural amphitheatre that was the cove.

"Ha ha ha ha!...Just as I thought! You don't have the stomach to make the hard choices! Here in the wilds you have me with a mighty dragon at your call and still you haven't the guts to do what's necessary. You're so _weak!"_

A deafening silence descended over the cove. It seemed the even air itself had lost the will to move, so afraid was it of the three breathing patterns that dominated the tense atmosphere. The rasping breaths of a boy a wrestling with a lifetimes worth of abuse and torment, being challenged by the deep inhales of his tormentor, pinned under the angry huffs of a dragon that was poised and ready to do Thor-knows-what to his intended prey.

The stand-off lasted only a minute or so but to those involved it felt like an eternity. Slowly Hiccup brought Astrid's axe down to his side as his mind came back to the here and now, ready to respond to Astrid's taunting.

"You think I'm weak because I value another person's life!" Hiccup muttered his voice trembling with desire that Astrid might understand, yet unable to meet her gaze, "Valuing life is not a weakness and disregarding it is not strength! It's because I value life that Toothless is my friend. I could have killed him but I wouldn't. I looked in to his eyes and I saw myself. I saw that he was just a scared as I was!"

"And scared is all you'll ever be, unless you let me go right now!" Astrid spat back derisively "And if you are leaving, you better take your dragon and race off to the edge of the world, because if you kill me, Stoick and the others won't rest until they've killed you and your big black salamander here!"

Hiccup kept his head bowed still not looking Astrid. For a moment all that could be heard was the faint tweeting of birds from the forest.

"You're right Astrid" Hiccup whispered finally, "I'm not going to kill you. You're going back to the village!"

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

 _'What?'_ Toothless warbled, shocked at the decision his rider was making.

Here was the perfect chance to exact his revenge. The female had revealed her true colours. Her dark aura was indeed one of possession but also of oppression and bore a striking resemblance to the one that surrounded the great queen in the nearby dragon nest. As a dragon who detested tyranny in all its forms he could not understand why Hiccup was deciding to be lenient now things had gone so far.

 _'Sometimes the boy was too compassionate!'_ the dragon thought.

Surely they had no choice now but to kill the female in order to protect their secret. With any luck the half-wit Vikings on this island would just assume Hiccup was killed also and not bother to look for them or alternatively after finishing the girl off, they would fly in and decimate the town making everyone who had wronged Hiccup suffer, leaving this place a barren, scorched wasteland.

He looked at his boy with wide curious eyes, desperate to understand him. Hiccup lifted his eyes and stared back at him, his freckled face awash with emotions that shouldn't grace the visage of one so young.

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

"Toothless, let her up." Hiccup said evenly

The Nightfury growled in protest, while Astrid, despite her pain, wore a deeply smug grin on her face.

"TOOTHLESS! Let her up!" Hiccup said again. Toothless saw the conflicted look of pain and fatigue in his young rider's face and begrudgingly obliged.

"About time!" Astrid grumbled as she dusted herself off while Toothless backed up a few steps, his bitter gaze still locked on her, "I knew you wouldn't have the balls to kill me Haddock! I suggest you start running before the rest of the tribe get here and I end up wearing your dragon's skull for helmet!"

"No Astrid,….. _you're_ the one who should be running." Hiccup replied coldly.

"Excuse me?" Astrid replied, a little puzzled.

"I said I would not _kill_ you Astrid." Hiccup elaborated his voice and eyes now colder than ice as he stared at her, "But I didn't say I would not _hurt_ you!"

"What?...Wha..what do you mean?" Astrid didn't know why her voice was so shaky

"Toothless, you know what to do bud", the emotionless Viking stated, "hurt….not….kill!"

Toothless shared a knowing look with the boy and nodded. The Nightfury's eyes once round and wide with understanding now narrowed in pure feral aggression, a sure fire sign that something very bad was about to happen.

"Hiccup…what are you doing? You….you….you….you keep that dragon….away from me!" Astrid tried to keep her voice firm while thoughts of such pain undermined any authority she tried to muster.

But the cold look on Hiccup's face struck Astrid with a new more paralysing fear. If being caught under the Nightfury was scary then being caught in the heir of Berk's blazing green eyes was utterly horrifying.

"Run Astrid!" Hiccup whispered maliciously,

 _"Run!"_

* * *

 **"Hold on!...Don't let go!...Hold on!...it's...it's...a CLIFFHANGER!"**

 **Sorry for another Stalone ending but I couldn't help myself.**

 **Now things have gotten really interesting!**

 **What will happen to Astrid? Well if you've read this far you already know. but next time you will see all the gory details blow-for-blow!**

 **I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Once again thank you for following this story and for taking the time to leave a review. it's always great to read your comments and respond if possible.**

 **next time we get to have some real fun in the epic conclusion of the 'Begging' arc!**

 **Til next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	10. Begging PT4

**Greetings all**

 **To all my American friends I wish you a Happy Independence Day and welcome one and all to the final part of the 'begging arc' and have we got a show for you!**

 **Straight off this chapter contains violence so fair warning. I hope it's not too gruesome but it may get a bit tough for younger readers so just be advised ok?**

 **I have placed a very obscure quotation in this chapter that I don't anticipate anyone getting it. but if you do guess correctly you will have my undying respect! good hunting.**

 **Once again thanks for all the great feedback and reviews. I really love seeing how you guys are reacting to this fic and it's just great to know some of you at least are enjoying it.**

 **but anyway on with the show.**

* * *

 _ **Last time, Astrid finally met Toothless and the Nightfury pinned her to the ground,**_

 _ **ready to punish her for abusing Hiccup.**_

 _ **However after exchanging some pretty nasty insults and Hiccup trying desperately and failing to get Astrid to understand, our favourite dragon trainer decided to let Astrid go, much to her sickened amusement.**_

 _ **But that amusement quickly faded when Hiccup explained he wasn't going to kill Astrid, he was just going to 'hurt' her.**_

 _ **Something she didn't like the sound as Hiccup told her to simply...**_

 _ **"...Run!"**_

* * *

 _ **Part 10 - Begging Part 4:**_

 _ **Appetite for Destruction**_

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

Astrid could not believe what she was hearing. Her long time victim was now master over her fate and had just ordered the world's most powerful dragon to attack her.

Surely this was some kind of perverse joke! Hiccup wouldn't do this! Astrid knew the boy, who only ever met abuse with a quick quip or silent acceptance, was far too compassionate a creature to do something like... _this._

 _'But what about the Nightfury?'_ Astrid thought, _'What about the unholy offspring and Lightening and Death itself which was now eyeing her with a deadly relish?'_ The beast was obviously a lot more intelligent than she realised as she saw the distinctly human look of vengeance in it's acidic green eyes.

Eyes that matched Hiccup's.

Angry eyes that were now solely locked on her.

Astrid's mind finally remembered how to move her limbs and she bodily flinched, ready to sprint away to freedom and safety.

But before she could will her body to move further the Nightfury lept in front of her and let out a fiercely powerful roar that catapulted her backwards to the ground with the force of a hurricane.

With eardrums ringing in protest from the sound, Astrid scrambled to her feet and sprinted for the cove entrance.

She was going to make it!

She prepared to slide under the shield wedged in the rock to begin her ascent to the cove's narrow entrance!

 _'The dragon would never be able to squeeze through that narrow gap and she would be free!'_ Astrid thought between her panted breaths.

Too busy relishing her thoughts of escape, Astrid only realised how pointless her scenario was when, from seemingly nowhere, the Nightfury's hard sinuous tail slammed into her from the left, her once upright world flying violently sideways.

Astrid landed with a hard thump and a dull **_'crack'._**

As she breathed deeply to refill her winded lungs, excruciating pain exploded in her abdomen. Quickly the blonde youth altered her breathing to short shallow gasps as she clutched at her side, cradling her broken ribs.

Toothless gave her only seconds to recover before he crouched low and swiftly advanced, clamping his gummy jaws around her left leg and dragging her across the rough ground making her moan in desperation.

With her free leg she kicked the Nightfury in the snout and for a few moments it seemed to work, the dragon wincing and blinking in discomfort with each hit. However the kicking stopped when Astrid felt the Nightfury's teeth slide out if its gums and into her leg. With one deft tug the dragon stripped off her left boot and legging, tearing long gashes in her flesh, making her cry out in agony. Tossing the clothing away, Toothless repeated the process on the right leg with swift, brutal, draconic efficiency, leaving the shield-maiden quivering and bloodied on the ground.

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

Toothless remained faithful to his objective. His many years of hunting and fighting with wild beasts or other dragons had made him adept at knowing the difference between maiming and killing his opponent.

The little wench had the audacity to kick him the face as he dragged her around, earning a miniscule portion of the Nightfury's respect for showing such tenacity. However this ignorant, cruel child had yet to experience the full wrath of the unholy offspring of Lightening and Death itself as he relished the feeling of his teeth penetrating her pale flesh.

 _'The bites are not too deep to sever any arteries but deep enough to make the girl suffer'_ the Nightfury analysed as he spat out mouthfuls of coarse Viking fabrics and youthful Viking blood, _'I will make certain of that!'_

This hunt would last as long as he deemed fit.

 _'I will make you pay a high price for the crimes against Hiccup you are guilty of human!'_ the dragon hissed as he stripped the girl's other leg of it's protective wrappings.

Though Hiccup was not allowing the female the mercy of a quick death Toothless could see his boy was still wrestling with the morality of deliberately taking a life.

 _'Hiccup didn't want to kill or hurt anyone'_ the dragon mused as he continued his grizzly work, listening to the erratic and distressed heartbeats of both humans.

It was why the dragon had found him so intriguing in the first place. Both had spared each other and in so doing had discovered a fellow lost soul that seemed to form a new and distinct being, far stronger than they ever could be alone.

It was why Toothless was prepared to do anything for his boy now, including this unsavoury task that Toothless knew Hiccup would not have the skill, strength or stomach for.

At least not yet perhaps.

Fortunately Toothless had no such qualms and if Hiccup was threatened in the future by anyone or anything the Nightfury would kill without hesitation to safeguard his human.

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

"HICCUP!...PLEASE!...MAKE IT STOP!" Astrid screamed hysterically as she floundered on the floor, her blood-slicked legs slipping on the red tinted grass, "I'M SORRY!...OK?...I'M SORRY!"

"I afraid it's too late for sorry Astrid!" Hiccup intoned back, his voice still cold and dead-panned, "What did you say at Dragon training? _It's only fun if you get a scar out it?_ Well there's still plenty of _fun_ to be had! Toothless! Finish this quickly bud!"

Again Astrid hauled herself to her feet and tried to run. She got as far as leaning on the wedged shield this time and dared to hope.

That hope was dashed when a powerful force gripped the back of her spiked skirt and lifted her off her feet, pulling her backwards again. As she flailed miserably in the air, Astrid fumbled at the buckles that held her skirt on. She cried in stuttering, staggering breaths as the Nightfury swung her clumsily from side to side, his jaws firmly clamped around the tough leather and Iron spikes.

After a few moments the last buckle for the skirt came loose and Astrid fell to the hard ground with another thud and another 'crack'. The sudden shock of another rib breaking didn't even give her enough breath to even scream but merely gasp out a pitiful whimper.

Toothless left with just the leather garment in his mouth, violently shook the skirt from side to side the way a wolf would tussle with a bone or a piece of carrion flesh. In moments the once pristine warrior garment was nothing but a pile of tattered leather strips and shattered Iron shrapnel.

Astrid was simply reduced to crawling now, but she didn't get far and her fear filled sobs increased as Toothless loomed over her and dug his teeth into the steel armour on her shoulders. Hiccup listened to her sobs as a trail of bite marks, bruises, friction burns and welts were left behind as each piece of armour was brutally ripped from her body. Astrid's trademark blue tunic was then torn to shreds as the Nightfury slowly dragged its razor sharp talons across her back, shoulders and chest.

All the while Hiccup heard Astrid's cries.

At first they were that of a warrior fighting valiantly, then they were that of a desperate soul struggling against an inescapable fate, filled with pleading and the last strands of dying hope. But now the only sounds Astrid made were the haunted, relentless cries of a frightened child, delirious and scared by countless nightmares. They were cries he knew well, for he had spent over a decade making them himself, remnants of his daily torture he could never hide from. So to hear those sounds of pleading, paralysing fear being made by Astrid Hofferson, one of his lead persecutors and Berk's finest young warrior, filled Hiccup with equal amounts of perverse satisfaction and overwhelming pity.

By now Toothless had nearly stripped Astrid of all her clothing, strength and dignity while the girl herself was bordering on passing out.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called, bringing the ebony dragon's attention back to him as the blonde Viking of his dreams cowered between the Nightfury's blood stained claws. In a different life Hiccup might have found the sight arousing seeing so much of the girl's exposed feminine form on display. However, all he felt now was a cold void of detachment as he spoke evenly to the dragon, "that's enough now. Let her go!"

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

 _'Very well'_ Toothless warbled as he looked down at his shuddering whimpering prey, _nearly_ satisfied with his work.

The little human witch had finally been brought to heel and would serve as a harsh reminder to anyone who would dare hurt his friend ever again. Stepping over the girl, Toothless could not resist raking his back claw over the girl's head, scarring her face and ripping out some her beautiful golden hair, making the girl break down in more tears as a fresh wave of pain swept over her.

' _Let her bare scars like his boy and see if she has the fortitude to survive living with them!'_ the Nightfury thought as he padded over to his rider, nuzzling him in the chest with his head, earning a soft stroke across his muzzle and jaw line.

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

"It's time we left bud. We're done here." Hiccup spoke quietly as he attached his large travelling pack to the back of Toothless' saddle. Though heavy with supplies, the extra weight was of no consequence to the mighty Nightfury.

Looking at Astrid's axe Hiccup considered leaving it behind, a final casting off of his suffering and torment. But in the end, Hiccup gripped the axe tighter before tying it to the back of his saddle.

It was no longer a symbol of his love for Astrid Hofferson.

She had cruelly obliterated that love in no uncertain terms by abusing and emasculating him without hesitation or remorse. From now on it would be a symbol of his skill as a forge-maser, a means for defending himself and maybe, just _maybe_ , he would give it to the woman who truly loved him, if one even existed.

Just as he mounted Toothless, sliding his feet into the stirrups and working the tail fin mechanism, a quiet whisper reached his ear.

"Hiccup….hic….cup!"

Turning the dragon to face the source of the sound, Hiccup saw the bleeding, wretched wreck of humanity that was Astrid Hofferson. She was practically naked, covered in cuts, teeth marks, welts and bruises. Her eyes once alive with fire and venom were now wide, watery pools of fear and despair that revealed a mind teetering on the brink of insanity. She was reaching a bloody arm out toward him as she stared up, begging with her eyes.

"Hiccup…..I….I…..I'm…s-s-s-sor….r-r-r-y-y-y…..H—h-h-hee..l-l-l-p-p-p…..m-m-me…p-p-p-pl…e-e-ease!"

"I'm sorry too Astrid," Hiccup intoned sympathetically, sorrowfully "But I can't help you…..not anymore!"

"Hiccup?..."

But before she could utter anything more, Hiccup nudged Toothless and the Nightfury spread its huge wings, launching itself and its rider gracefully into the air.

Astrid gazed in horror and wonder while the heir of Berk expertly guided the unholy offspring of Lightening and Death itself as it circled the periphery of the cove. The dragon's other-worldly, innate grace coupled with his rider's fluid skill struck Astrid.

She suddenly pondered what it would be like for her to ride a dragon. What strange, tantalising sensations could she feel? What sights could she see? What glory could she win?

Astrid felt deep stirrings of loss and sorrow as well as that familiar ferocious, hate-inducing envy towards Hiccup at having such a powerful gift and realizing such a gift (which he probably would have shared) would now and forever be denied her.

And all because she had violently cast him aside too many times and this had been the final straw.

 _For both of them._

Somewhere, deep down in the frigid chasm of her cold heart Astrid knew she had committed a lifetime of heinous crimes against Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, that could broke no forgiveness, no remorse.

All that could be given back was pity…..and vengeance.

Struggling to her feet Astrid wrapped her arms around herself to protect her wounds and her modesty. Seeing her moving, Hiccup yelled out from his saddle as he continued to circle his prey.

"I'm leaving Berk Astrid! Go back and tell everyone what you saw today and tell them this! The Nightfury will return! And when we do come back, BERK WILL BE NO MORE!"

Still Astrid didn't move and in one of the rare times in his life, Hiccup became impatient.

"She's not moving bud" he groaned "let's give her a little _incentive_ to get going!"

Toothless growled in understanding and began to charge up his plasma blast.

At first Astrid wasn't sure what was happening until she had heard that high-pitched whistling. The sound that announced the arrival of the Nightfury.

It was a sound that marked the arrival of fire and death from a dragon that never stole food, never showed it-self and most importantly…never missed!

As soon as she figured out what was going to happen, a bright purple ball of super heated plasma exploded in the ground 20 feet to her right sending rocks, smoke and debris high into the air, leaving a huge smouldering crater.

Astrid jumped back as another crater erupted 10 feet to her left. Seeing the dragon bank around for another shot, Astrid finally realised it was coming straight for her.

Long dormant reserves of adrenaline exploded into her system and a bloody and beaten Astrid Hofferson screamed as she fled from the cove as the ground where she had been standing was shattered by the earth-rending fire of the Nightfury.

Seeing a traumatized Astrid finally leave the cove, stumbling blindly through the trees back to the village, a satisfied yet sad Hiccup pulled back in his saddle, guiding Toothless higher into the sky. Casting one longing look back at his former home Hiccup leaned down and stroked the head of his draconic best friend.

"Looks like it's just you and me now bud!" Hiccup crooned with new sense of determination, "Let _them_ have Berk for now. The rest of the world is all _ours!_ "

The Nightfury grinned a wide smile in response as he beat his powerful wings and turned in a new direction out across the sea.

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

Toothless, now calmed from his altercation with the female Viking and saving his young friend, warbled and barked triumphantly in agreement with Hiccup's statement.

The time had now come to take their friendship the next level.

The human had freed him from the queen's control, proved himself extremely capable, shown tremendous fortitude in the face of adversity, demonstrated boundless compassion and love and had now forsaken all ties to everything and everyone he knew in his home, to stand with him.

 _'Now was the time!'_ the Nightfury grunted to himself, to take Hiccup to the place that existed only in rumour, myth and legend.

He was going to bring his boy _**home!**_

* * *

 _ **FLASHBACK ENDS**_

 _ **PRESENT TIME, THE COVE.**_

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, Hilda, Magnahild, Hildegard, Gunnar, Bucket, Mulch, Hoark, Phlegma, Sven. They were all Vikings of the highest calibre. They had seen more than their fair share of gut-wrenching, sickening, horrifying, unsettling, disturbing things in their time.

But their stony silence was unlike anything they had ever experienced before in the face of the mind-bending, soul-destroying tragedy that had just poured out of Astrid Hofferson's mouth as she raced around the cove recounting her ludicrous tale.

The girl again seemed completely oblivious to her audience as she scooped up and threw away small rocks and fragments of fabric that lay strewn about the ground.

"That's…unbelievable!" Gobber finally broke the silence his throat tight and voice rasping.

"Do you think it's true?" Spitelout asked.

"It can't be!" Gobber snapped back "the girl's obviously gone mad with delirium!"

"Don't you call my child mad!" Hilda snarled "She's a Hofferson! Hoffersons don't lie!"

"Oh wake up Hilda!" The blacksmith retorted "there's no way Hiccup would do something like that! It's completely impossible!"

"And that's why it's _true_!" a new voice said quietly.

The entire party turned to see the owner of the voice and were stunned to see it belonged to Stoick the Vast himself. Gobber slowly approached and placed his hand on his friends shoulder.

"Stoick you can't know that!"

"Yes I do Gobber" Stoick said firmly nodding his head to Astrid as she wandered aimlessly about the cove, "did you ever think it possible Astrid Hofferson would be reduced to a gibbering, simpering wreck? Did you ever _really_ think it possible for Hiccup to do well in dragon training without help? Did you ever think it possible for such devastation to occur under our very noses!?"

Gobber couldn't respond. The lost look on the blacksmith's face was all Stoick needed to know that Gobber agreed with him, albeit reluctantly, as he continued to speak. Astrid briefly caught their attention again as she rolled on the grass giggling and wincing in pain.

"It's _because_ this tale is so impossible to believe that it _has_ to be true!" Stoick intoned, "There is no other explanation. Hiccup has been tormented his whole life, Hiccup trained a dragon and someday Hiccup will take his revenge on the people who have wronged him."

"So what do we do Stoick?"

"We prepare….Stoick said evenly, yet his body could be seen visibly shaking with innumerable conflicting emotions, "We go back to the village, we tell the tribe, we take stock of what we've done to my son and then we prepare for the day Hiccup comes back to finish what we started!"

"But how do we…..?"

"HA HA HA HA!"

Gobber's question was loudly interrupted as Astrid's laughter became maniacal before degenerating into uncontrollable sobbing and shrieking. The mask of terror Astrid wore on her face when she first returned to the village became her locked expression once more as she darted panicked looks across the empty sky.

"What is happening?...it's him...oh no...oh gods...it's him...it's him...it's the madness...I hear him...he will come for me!"

Astrid snapped her head towards Stoick and strode towards him, the other Vikings stepping out of her way immediately, not wanting to fall under her baleful gaze.

"He charges his fire on a steed of black Iron!...The shadow of death swirling in his wake!...I hear a voice calling me...I hear a voice and he says he is coming for me...!"

Stoick could barley hold his gaze on the girl that shivered as she clawed ineffectually at his armour and wailed her sorrowful cries at him.

"OH gods...my heart...it won't stop trembling..."

Astrids eyes began to narrow in accusation as she regarded Stoick. The Chief although ignorant of much of Hiccup's abuse by his peers, began to feel very nervous at his own brutal short-comings and failures as a father that seemed to reach out to him from Astrid's pale blue pools of condemnation.

"What will you do when he comes for _you?"_ the broken child rasped "...what will you _do?_ Chieftain...Slayer...Warrior...Sailor, he will punish all without distinction!...he knows the sound of the Viking battle cry and soon we will hear _his_ battle cry...and all shall fall before him!"

Stoick began to wrap his arms around Astrid. Not in any way to comfort the girl. He simply wished to silence her rantings. But Astrid thrust her head up to the sky again and danced a few paces away from the vast muscular man.

"Coming back!..." Astrid uttered in terror, staring at the clouds.

"Coming back, coming back, coming back….back, back, back…COMING BACK!" she repeated over and over until she was screaming it at the top of her lungs.

"THEY'RE COMING BACK...AND THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!"

Hilda Hofferson then tried to restrain her daughter but Astrid was powerfully strong in her hysteria. The blonde teenager threw her grieving mother off and raced at full speed out of the cove, past the bewildered warriors on guard and back into the forest where none but the birds could hear her distressed, maniacal cries.

Cries that warned of fire and vengeance.

Cries of a son who had been wronged and at his return he would bring with him the might of the most powerful dragon in the world.

Along with pursuing panicked Vikings, even the birds seemed to acknowledge Astrid's prophetic cry that one day Berk would see the return of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and ultimately…..

…..the return of the Nightfury.

* * *

 **Well there you are guys!**

 **Hiccup and Toothless are gone! Astrid has gone insane (temporary or permanently im not sure yet, suggestions are welcome) and Stoick has a lot of thinking to do along with the rest of Berk.**

 **I hope you have enjoyed the first of many climaxs in this story and the ones that will come in the future.**

 **As always thanks so much for taking the time to read this story and to leave a review, comment, P.M. or feedback. I love talking with you guys about this stuff so always feel free to drop me a line.**

 **Our next arc will follow Hiccup on his journey and you will learn in time why this story is actually called 'The return of the Nightfuries!'**

 **till next time**

 **take care of yourselves and each other!**


	11. Checkpoint PT1

**Hey everyone!**

 **I wasn't planning to update this story for while due to work commitments but the muses hit like a truck yesterday and so I came up with this chapter and the following chapter.** **This is going to be a bit of an experiment. In the last arc of Chapters, folks really liked seeing one side of the scene from Hiccup's POV then the same stuff from Toothless' POV.**

 **I really liked it too so I tried to write this way again. however things got so complicated and I got so invested with both perspectives that to edit them together proved to kill the pacing of the story.** **And so my solution was to give you all a 'two-for-one' deal today and post both chapters at the same time! that way you can read the same scenario and see how they feel from different perspectives. do tell me if you think it works or not. I put a lot of effort into keeping the main thrust the same but altering certain things to give unique individual perspectives and more insight as well as keeping the plot moving and also giving some tasty hints at the future.**

 **you will see pretty quickly that running away aint all sunshine and rainbows!**

 **As always, many thanks for your kind words, messages PM's and reviews. they have been awesome so far. I love talking with you guys about this stuff as it keeps me going.**

 **Enjoy the first half of the coin!**

* * *

 _ **Last time, Hiccup and Toothless finally left Berk after reaping their revenge on Astrid.**_

 _ **Stoick and the rest of the Berkians now have a deadly prophecy of fire and retribution on their hands.**_

 _ **But what will happen to the Dragon Rider of Berk as he flies away on his adventures?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 **Part 11.A – Checkpoint**

 _ **GENERAL POV**_

After being trapped in the same place for over 15 years, suffering almost daily bouts torment and abuse one would think that the victim would be happy, elated, overjoyed beyond all description to finally escape such a place.

The feeling of freedom flying with Toothless brought, even after being bullied, always lifted Hiccup's spirits, always made him happy.

But Hiccup was _not_ happy. Not anymore.

Around 4 hours after Berk had vanished over the horizon, numerous issues had arisen to make Hiccup admit one powerful fact.

He was absolutely miserable!

 _ **He felt lost.**_

He had absolutely _no idea_ where in the nine realms Toothless was taking him. The thrilling, adventurous prospect of traveling around the archipelago had faded quite a while ago as Hiccup had tried to guide Toothless towards some of the deserted or barely inhabited Islands he knew of. At least to set down and plan out their next move. But the stubborn Nightfury had put up ferocious resistance every time, nearly throwing Hiccup out of his saddle at one point. Despite feeling so powerless, seemingly beholden to the whims of his ebony companion, in the end Hiccup resigned himself to trusting his friend's judgement. Yet he wished he had some choice in the matter.

 _ **He felt loss.**_

Though he was finally free of all the torments and mockeries of his life, it was still _his_ life he had left behind. Granted he had done things that made him proud and didn't hold everyone equally to blame for his dire circumstances, yet it pained him that he could never set foot on Berk for a long, _long_ time. He had grown to love the land he lived in, for it was its nearly unspoilt landscape that comforted him when the people let him down: the thick lush forests, the beautiful streams, the mysterious caves that threatened and beckoned his curious young mind. To leave it in the hands of the Berkians unsupervised, especially now the cove had been discovered, filled Hiccup with concern and disgust in equal measure. It nagged at his heart and only rarely did the grunts and croons the Nightfury made every once in a while at him ease his spirit.

 _ **He felt cold.**_

 _Absolutely freezing_ in fact for the speed at which the Nightfury was flying was driving a biting wind into his face and through his clothes chilling him to the bone. He had spare layers in his travelling basket but he couldn't retrieve them without landing and Toothless seemed wholly adverse to that idea. Though Toothless' exertions was giving off a large amount of body heat, it was most definitely not enough to keep Hiccup immune to the elements which the boy knew would get worse. Night would fall soon and to face plummeting Norse temperatures high in the freezing air was something that started to make Hiccup feel colder already. He wouldn't be able to fly Toothless if he went from being Hiccup the Tooth-pick to Hiccup the Ice-pick!

 _ **He was starving.**_

Sheer nerves had stopped him from eating much that day and despite the Nightfury beneath him showing no signs of letting up his insane pace, the energy Hiccup had spent trying to keep steady on the rocketing dragon was draining his last reserves. His tongue was parched due from lack of water, his stomach growled constantly and the muscles in his arms and legs holding onto the saddle screamed at him to let go to feel some sweet release. Hiccup's hands felt they were locked closed around the handles of the saddle and he yearned to straighten his fingers before the only gesture he could ever make was fists.

 _ **He was in agony.**_

His final beating at the hands and feet of Astrid had been one of the most vicious he had ever experienced. He was sure some of his ribs had been fractured or even broken. He was sure his chest was a patchwork of bruises under his thin tunic as he constantly winced whenever the wind put pressure on it. His neck was sore from when it was pinned by Astrid's axe, there was still dry blood on his face where her slaps had split his lip, his hair was sticky and matted with dry blood where the back of his head had struck the rock wall, one of his eyes had started to swell up and his head throbbed relentlessly. Passing out was becoming a viable option now.

But above all those torturous feelings Hiccup felt regret.

Finally the young runaway could take it no longer and gave voice to the question gnawing at his mind.

"What did we do bud?!" Hiccup muttered morosely, earning a concerned glance from the dragon.

"Maybe we could have taken Astrid on a flight and shown her the beauty of dragons?" Hiccup ventured.

Toothless warbled and grunted at this.

"Yeah your probably right bud. Who'd be interested in anything I had to say right?" Hiccup intoned as he hung his head, fatigue amplifying his sorrow.

"I think we traumatized her" Hiccup sighed, "why did I have to get so angry at her?"

The Nightfury didn't respond and Hiccup began to feel worse.

"Sorry bud, you've got enough to worry about," the boy said dejectedly "Once again I'm dumping all my problems on you. Typical Stupid Hiccup!"

Once more the Nightfury didn't respond. Hiccup could see the dragon scanning the horizon as if it was looking for something.

"what are you looking for bud?" Hiccup asked anxiously "is it land? If it is then that's…..Whao!"

Hiccup was jolted roughly when the dragon made a sharp hard left turn and picked up speed again scaring him awake and sending shocks and vibrations through every one of his wounds.

"AAGGGGHHHHHH!" Hiccup groaned and winced in agony. He didn't know why the dragon had done such a thing but the action and the fresh waves of pain were the final straw for the young exile.

"Toothless please!" the boy begged pitifully, "We have to land! I can't take much more of this! I'm starving, I need to treat my injuries and if we are still up here when night falls I will freeze to death! I'm sorry bud. Astrid was right. _I am weak!"_

Hiccup felt disgusted with himself for sounding so pathetic. He wanted to be strong for Toothless' sake but in his heart Hiccup knew he was still the scrawny, helpless fishbone without an ounce of Viking resilience he had always been. All he wanted now was to crawl into a cave, a tree, Hel even a ditch and fall asleep if it ended his misery.

Collapsing forward near the Dragon's head, Hiccup leaned close to Toothless' ears, his parched throat making him sound defeated and hoarse, "Please bud…please….. _I'm begging you_ ….we have to set down somewhere….please…I….I can't do it… _I can't hold out much longer!"_

Toothless let out a concerned wail as the boy poured whatever energy he had left into keeping his aching left leg steady. If Hiccup did nothing else, he had to keep Toothless' tail operational for as long as possible.

The Nightfury's croons and wails continued with increasing ferocity and Hiccup wasn't sure if he had passed out or not as time seemed to jump forward in the blink of an eye, night coming on a lot faster than usual. Finally the dragon began to climb steeply forcing Hiccup to sit up in the saddle to adjust the pedals and keep his balance. When the dragon leveled off Hiccup was about ready to collapse again when his eyes took in the most glorious sight he had seen a long time.

"Toothless look an Island!" Hiccup croaked with all the enthusiasm he could muster in his fatigued near lucid state, his mouth forming a wide exhausted smile.

Toothless warbled loudly and bobbed his head up and down and Hiccup felt a veritable wave of relief pass through him, seemingly carrying his worries away with it. Despite his exhaustion Hiccup shook his head and perked himself up, ready to give one last push so he could get them to the island that was now fast approaching. As they approached in the early evening light Hiccup strained to examine this strange new land. It didn't have any houses or villages as far as he could see though his eyesight was pretty blurry. Rather than risk landing on the exposed vulnerable looking beach or in the forest that seemed to dominate the majority of the Island's surface, Hiccup examined the large mountain that rose up on the island's north side.

"Head for that mountain Toothless We should be able to find a cave or something!"

Slowly the Nightfury circled around, following his friend's suggestion. Eventually Hiccup spotted a hole in the side of the mountain about a third of the way up and nudged Toothless to descend for a closer look. The cave looked promising. For a cave. It wasn't so high to be too cold yet it was far enough away from the treeline that any beast or human attempting to sneak up on them would have to cross a lot of uneven, open ground making the cave easy to defend or escape from if necessary.

However such tactical concerns were secondary to Hiccup who desired nothing more than to land. With a broad sweep of his wings Toothless and his rider landed deftly in front of the cave and stealthily walked inside. The cave wasn't too bad. For a cave. It was big enough to accommodate both him and Toothless comfortably enough and was about the size of his room back on Berk.

When the dragon finally came to a stop Hiccup planned to dismount immediately. However Hiccup did not dismount. Hiccup did not do anything.

 **For 10 whole minutes.**

The wrecked Viking boy just sat in the saddle, his lungs straining loudly, his eyes watering, his hands still gripping firmly to the leather handles of his saddle. Hiccup felt that all the weight of Midgard was weighing on his shoulders keeping him from getting off the dragon he loved. As much as his mind screamed at him, Hiccup's body just couldn't find the will to move. It was like he had forgotten how to move or even why he needed to move at all when he could just sit there and breathe.

But the Nightfury seemed to understand and laid down on the floor, bringing Hiccup's feet closer the ground either side of his head. This simple gesture gave Hiccup the impetus to finally get his body going. Allowing gravity to do most of the work Hiccup slid off the saddle on the dragon's right hand side , his hands finally being pried loose from the saddle. Leaning heavily on the dragon Hiccup worked his way to the travelling pack that was sitting on the Nightfury's back.

"You did….so well…to carry this thing bud!" Hiccup rasped petting the dragon with one hand while his other worked clumsily at the buckles that kept the pack on, "It's so heavy…..it must…weight you down…awfully…I'm so sorry….for making you….carry it….so far!"

With a loud thud the pack tumbled to the floor as it came loose, bringing Hiccup to his knees beside it as he tried to guide its trajectory. Steadying himself, Hiccup undid the clasps and dug out a pig-skin of water which he sipped from. Feeling the cool liquid run down his throat made Hiccup feel giddy. Though it was just water, the pleasurable smile he wore would have made a passer-by think he was some town drunkard enjoying his favourite mead or some elitist Roman enjoying the finest wines available to humanity.

"Sweet Thor! You have no idea how good that feels bud!" Hiccup moaned ecstatically between drinks.

After satiating his thirst Hiccup delved deeper and pulled out his bag of medicine. He quickly began chewing on some myrtle root for the pain that was engulfing his body. Awkwardly removing his flight harness and tunic Hiccup bandaged up his ribs which he was relieved to find were only severely bruised and used a balm soaked rag to clean the dry blood away from his cuts. Without the benefit of a mirror all Hiccup could do was guess that he had cleaned the blood off and sufficiently treated his wounds.

Pulling on a clean tunic Hiccup turned to see the Nightfury still lying on the ground watching him intently. Half-walking, Half-crawling Hiccup sluggishly came over to the Toothless and removed his only other piece of cargo that was still strapped to the saddle. Astrid's axe. Hiccup had no time or energy for being delicate and the heavy blade was unceremoniously shoved to the ground on the far side of the cave with a loud clatter. Hiccup had no fear of treating the weapon in such a rough manner. He had forged it and Astrid had wielded it. That axe could withstand _anything._

Coming back to his ebony friend Hiccup stroked and nuzzled the dragons head, wrapping his skinny arms around the Nightfury's neck as far as they could go.

"Thank-you….so…..much…..Toothless…..I love you bud…If it's….all the same…to you…I'm gonna sleep now" Hiccup whispered through his shivers to the dragon who warbled in response. Hiccup could feel the insidious tendrils of sleep come over him and prepared to curl up beside the dragon as he had done many times before.

However the Nightfury did something odd. Rather than open up his wings or wrap his tail around the boy as he had done in the past, Toothless stood up and backed away to the cave entrance leaving a bewildered Hiccup on the floor of the cave with a questioning look on his face.

"Toothless?"

Before the boy could question anymore Toothless breathed in deeply and with a quiet whistling noise as was their habit, the Nightfury began to spew super-heated plasma out of its mouth. Hiccup watched in fascination that the plasma was not the usual type. Rather than a projectile of explosive energy the plasma came out in a steady stream that melted the rock it landed upon leaving a small wall of purple flame behind.

Hiccup remembered he had seen this before with Toothless heating up the ground before he went to sleep on it in the cove. After spending so much time together, Hiccup figured the dragon wanted to sleep on its own terms for once.

 _'Which was fine! really it was TOTALLY fine!'_ Hiccup tried to convince himself _'no need to worry about sleeping on the hard stone floor...all alone...in a strange cave...on a strange Island...in the middle of nowhere!'_

 _'Oh who was he kidding!?'_ Hiccup chided himself. Despite being on his back for over 5 hours he already missed the tactile company of his draconic friend and wanted nothing more than to cuddle into his warm, scaly, comforting embrace. _'It was selfish'_. Hiccup knew that. _'He had to stop being so greedy all the time'_. the dragon had it's own needs and he had to respect that. _'He would respect it because at the end of the day this whole thing was all his fault!'_

Any protests or appeals for his dragon's company were ruthlessly supressed before they crossed Hiccup's lips.

Hiccup was pulled from his self-loathing as things got even odder in that the Nightfury begun moving in a circle. Not around himself as he had done before but rather Toothless was making a circle of purple flames around _him_.

Soon Hiccup found himself surrounded by a pleasantly heated barrier of Nightfury flames. In the purple tinted twilight Hiccup looked up at his draconic friend and smiled. The Nightfury nodded and smiled a gummy grin back.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Hiccup gestured to the steady stream of heat that was soothing his aching limbs, "No wonder you like to do this sometimes…it feels….great….AAAWWWWWW!"

Hiccup tried to stifle his yawn but found it hopeless. His eyes got heavier as he shifted his position so he was now lying on his side in the centre of the flaming circle.

"Sorry Bud but I….I really need to sleep…..see..you in the…morning….."

Finally after a day of conflict, hardship and heartbreak, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third finally succumbed to the beautiful embrace of deep sleep. It had been a rest well-earned and though it was still relatively early, Toothless knew Hiccup would sleep peacefully and well into the next morning.

Hiccup would need all the rest he could get because tomorrow was going to be just as earth shattering and exhausting, only for a different reason.

Closing his eyes and taking in another breath Toothless exhaled another blast of fire that fed into the circle he had already created. The purple flames danced higher and until they over three feet high. The Nightfury warbled and grumbled quietly as the flames then began to bend inward coming ever closer to completely engulfing Hiccup. With a final quiet eruption of plasma from his mouth, the Nightfury's flames crept over Hiccups body, cocooning him in a tight, body-hugging shell of dragon fire.

The boy should have moved. **He did not.**

The boy should have felt pain. **He did not.**

The boy should have screamed. **He did not.**

Hiccup remained deathly still within the flames that did not burn him.

The Nightfury shivered with excitement and anticipation and couldn't wait for the morning to come. He knew how the boy had suffered before they met. He knew how badly the journey so far had affected him. He didn't know how the journey would end.

But if there was one more thing he did know for sure, it was this.

Hiccup's mind was going to be literally blown when he woke up!

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **That's the heads part of this coin! Tails is up next!**

 **as always any reviews or feedback are great appreciated.**

 **thanks for taking the time to read this and leave a review**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**


	12. Checkpoint PT2

**Hey everyone**

 **Welcome to other side of the coin!**

 **Like I said before this chapter has the same story but from a different perspective so I'm really keen to see what you guys think of it. do you prefer one version over the other? does each one give you something special? do they complement each other Okay? stuff like that. I think it's little specific details of difference that will give these chapters their appeal. I advise to read or re-read PT 1 before reading this chapter just so you know what to look for and get a better feel for the differences in perspective.**

 **As always any kind of feedback, PM or review is great appreciated.**

 **Many thanks to my friend Feralvigilantedragonlady for her conversations about certain things.**

 **And now on with the tails side!**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 _ **Last time Toothless punished Astrid for her vile treatment of Hiccup.**_

 _ **Now he is bringing Hiccup to a very special place.**_

 _ **A place where no-one goes!**_

* * *

 **Part 11.B – Checkpoint PT2**

 _ **TOOTHLESS' POV**_

Being a slave even for any length of time is unacceptable. To be dominated and made to feel helpless and used cannot be stood for whether it's only for a day or a year. Toothless had been a slave for over 20 years and in that addled haze of non-stop conflict and servitude, he despised not only the Queen for making it so but also he despised himself for falling so easily under her sway and the things he had to do. Now he was free and his memory was returning to him piece by piece, the Nightfury felt something he had not felt in a long time.

Joy.

Pure…unadulterated…undisputable…unquenchable…Joy!

He was finally free and able to return to the place he had come from. Now his taking his boy with him! It didn't matter how far away it was and Toothless pumped his mighty wings for all they were worth as if his home was constantly moving away from them and he had to catch up the distance before it became too great.

After 20 years Toothless feared the situation had become just that. Had he fallen so far from grace or been gone so long that he had forgotten everything about his home and everyone in his home had forgotten about him? It was one of the things that threatened to undermine the joyous feeling he felt right now.

Yet the dragon could feel something far more sinister begin to creep into his awareness, pulling him out of his elated reverie. At first it was one thing and then it was many things as the Nightfury realised something was terribly wrong with his rider. It began when Hiccup who was so exuberant when they first left Berk, full of shouts and whoops of excitement, had gone eerily quiet and had been so for several hours now and it threatened to undo his joyful perspectives.

 _ **Toothless was no longer lost.**_

Finally he knew the way ' _home!'_ After so long _'home'_ was tantalizingly within the Nightfury's reach. But then he found the Viking on his back trying to divert him from his one true path.

" _No Hiccup we have to go this way! Why on earth would you want to stop now human?"_ He protested several times in mid-air struggling to stay aloft. He feared he would have to get aggressive with Hiccup, his over-riding anticipation of getting back to where he belonged testing his patience. Finally his boy seemed to get the message and left him to decide their course. Toothless felt a bit bad for being so forceful but he knew it was for the best and Hiccup would thank him in the end.

 _ **Toothless had gained what he wanted.**_

Not only had he escaped the Queen's control but he had also been given the gift of flight and now he had a brother to share the skies with, his years of solitude and loneliness made complete by the child on currently on his back. Now he was going to return home to those he missed and everything would be the way he desired it to be.

" _I cant wait to show you my home Hiccup!"_ the Nightfury would often croon elatedly to the silent child in order to lift his spirits, _"the waterfalls, the beaches, the stone outcroppings! So many places to play and hunt and train! You will love it! It is so beautiful. Much more beautiful than that rough Island prison of yours!"_

Yet the boy made no response above grunts in the affirmative and adjusting his grip on his saddle. Toothless figured his boy was simply focusing on the flight and enjoying the phenomenal speeds he was going at. He hadn't gone this fast before and so his boy must have been stunned with awe into silence

 _ **Toothless felt warm.**_

The sun had warmed his scales that morning and now his body was operating at peak efficiency. He felt like a power-house! A flying furnace with unlimited energy! A true offspring of Lightening and Death itself! A true Nightfury with all the speed and ferocity that went with the title! An apex level predator that struck fear into the hearts of men and topped all known records for speed, stealth, intelligence, agility and power.

Hiccup didn't make any complaint about the speed or the temperature so at first Toothless assumed his boy could handle it. But the sensitive scales on his back had felt a deep constant shivering emanating from his boy's core. Glancing back he finally noticed that the human child was not adequately dressed for flying, his thin tunic and flying harness not the best attire.

" _His face looks miserable!"_ Toothless whined, seeing Hiccup's freckles tightly scrunched up and eyes narrowed into a pained grimace.

Toothless knew night's cold embrace would engulf them soon. _"How is he going survive flying in that cold?"_ the Nightfury grew concerned.

 **Toothless was not hungry.**

Sheer nerves and excitement kept him going. His boy had kept him well fed during his time in the cove. Better fed than when he had been hunting by himself. _Spoilt really_. So he had no shortage of energy reserves to draw upon. He could fly for weeks and not stop for a meal. If he kept up this pace, he and Hiccup would home in a matter of days and his happiness would be complete.

The stark contrast between him and his rider kept getting more and more apparent as not only did Toothless feel his boy's shivers get worse but also loud grumbles and muscle spasms were emanating from Hiccup's stomach and his body language had become more and more stiff. His manipulations of the artificial tail-fin were a little slower than before and the more Toothless thought about it, the more worried he began to grow for his hatchling and how he was holding up. Toothless closed his eyes then opened them again, allowing his 'true-sight' to examine the boy's aura once more.

 _ **What he saw shocked him!**_

Rather than being a passionate red or joyous yellow like himself, the only colour that surrounded Hiccup was the pure, almost blindingly bright, ice blue aura of abject misery.

" _By the great mother and father!"_ Toothless cursed; shocked by just how bad the boy now looked on every level. _"Why are you suffering so badly little one? Flying has always made you happy!"_ Not only did Hiccup's emotional turmoil terrify him but Toothless' 'true-sight' also saw the extant of the _physical_ pain the boy was in; The blood, the bruises, both inside and out, the strain, the pressure. All were threatening to make the boy crumble.

" _Hold on Hiccup! Hold on! We can make it if you just hold on!"_ the Nightfury warbled in encouragement though his dragon-heart knew something had to be done soon _"just stay positive, like you did before and don't think of anything bad!"_

"What did we do bud?!" Hiccup's pained voice shocked Toothless as it was first time he had spoken in hours only to sound like _that._ Toothless glanced at Hiccup in concern and nothing he saw gave him any encouragement.

"Maybe we could have taken Astrid on a flight and shown her the beauty of dragons?" Hiccup ventured.

" _Are you jesting with me human? She would have thrown you from the saddle or retrieved her axe. Either way she would have killed all of us! She does not know the meaning of the word 'beauty' beyond her own shallow desires!"_ Toothless grunted in derision at the arrogant shield-maiden.

"Yeah your probably right bud. Who'd be interested in anything I had to say right?" Hiccup intoned as he hung his head in sorrow.

" _No Hiccup! Don't say that about yourself!"_ Toothless wailed in response, his throat getting tighter with nerves as he saw the mounting distress Hiccup was working himself in to, _"Hiccup please listen! You can't lose hope, not now! Not after how far we have come together!"_

"I think we traumatized her" Hiccup sighed, "Why did I have to get so angry at her?"

' _Because she deserved it!'_ The Nightfury thought silently, _'Because she ran out of chances!_ _'Because she gave you no other choice!'_ Toothless didn't realise he hadn't made a noise when Hiccup's strained voice broke the silence again.

"Sorry bud, you've got enough to worry about," the boy said dejectedly "Once again I'm dumping all my problems on you. Typical Stupid Hiccup!"

" _Hiccup you have to….."_ Toothless was about to respond when his enhanced dragon-vision saw something on the horizon. It was faint but some _thing_ was there _"…..wait….what is that?"_

"What are you looking for bud?" Hiccup asked anxiously "is it land? If it is then that's…..Whao!"

" _No we can't be seen! Not here, not now!"_ Toothless barked as he jolted roughly, pulling a sharp hard left turn and picking up speed again. The dragon had seen the numerous masts and shields along the side of the distant armada of Viking warships. His keen eyes had noticed that they had catapults on board, so whoever was on the boat could have posed a serious threat to Hiccup. But more importantly if the humans on the ships were smart, they might be able to predict their course so Toothless would have to go the long way round to throw the humans off. Had it been night-time there would have been no problem to fly quietly over them but it was still bright enough for the jet black dragon to be picked out with ease against the clear blue sky.

" _It will be a longer flight to go this way but the payoff will so much the better!"_ the Nightfury reasoned to himself. He would simply revel all the deeper in the joy of his return and the amazing story he would share with his people.

"AAGGGGHHHHHH!" Hiccup's pained cry rocked the dragon back to reality and the emotional outpouring that followed nearly made him drop from the sky like a stone, "Toothless please!" the boy begged pitifully, "We have to land! I can't take much more of this! I'm starving, I need to treat my injuries and if we are still up here when night falls, I will freeze to death! I'm sorry bud. Astrid was right. _I am weak!"_

Toothless' dragon-heart nearly broke at the outcry. It was like the cove all over again. Toothless knew had been neglecting the one person who had cared for him and all because he so selfishly wanted to get home as fast as possible. The Nightfury knew Hiccup wasn't strong, but to hear his boy admit defeat like _that,_ after all he had been through in life, tore Toothless apart. It dawned on the Nightfury, Hiccup had once again been hiding his own pain for his dragon's benefit and Toothless' affections for the boy's selflessness increase 5 fold.

" _I'm sorry Hiccup"_ Toothless intoned, _"You aren't a dragon and I forget that there may be times that I have to protect you from myself!"_

The dragon's admission was hammered home again as he felt Hiccup collapsing forward to his ears, rasping out another plea, "Please bud…please….. _I'm begging you_ ….we have to set down somewhere….please…I….I can't do it…I can't hold out much longer!"

" _NNOOOOOOOO!"_ Toothless wailed in distress. _"Please Hiccup! You can't give up now! I'll find us somewhere right now! Hold on human! Astrid was wrong, you are not weak!"_

For the next hour Toothless tore the air asunder, alternating his sight between scanning the horizon for somewhere to land and watching over his dishevelled and beaten rider. Hiccup's eyes were constantly drooping and more than once the dragon could tell the boy had fallen asleep in the saddle by using his 'true-sight' to observe his inner biology.

" _Stay awake, Hiccup! Don't fall asleep!"_ Toothless urged at one point _"Don't you fall asleep on me…..tell me your'e alright…Say the words! Say you're going to alright!"_ The black dragon called more forcefully before practically roaring, _"Say the human God's damned words!...Please stay awake!"_

With night fast approaching Toothless was on the brink of madness with worry for his boy and he began to get desperate, considering dangerous alternatives like ditching in the ocean.

Toothless could swim fine but he didn't know if Hiccup could. Plus if they went into the water now the dragon knew it was colder than in the air and the boy would freeze in minutes. Then Toothless realized he wouldn't last much longer as the heavy pack Hiccup had brought could possibly drag him under and drown them both.

" _No! that is not an option! come on, come on, come on!"_ the ebony reptile pleaded to his progenitors, _"Gimme somewhere to land….Mother spirit, Father spirit!...please….show me something!"_

And as if to answer the Nightfury's panicked prayers, a dark shadow loomed up in the distance.

" _An island!"_ Toothless barked in relief _"Hiccup look! An Island!"_

But the boy did not respond. His eyes had nearly rolled back in his skull, his lids flapping wildly as he was on the verge of losing his battle with his exhaustion. Toothless pumped his wings harder to gain some altitude and jolt his boy awake. His relief was audible when he heard his boy's voice again.

"Toothless look! An Island!" Hiccup croaked with all the enthusiasm he could muster in his fatigued near lucid state,

" _Yes my boy we can land!"_ Toothless warbled loudly and bobbed his head up and down, allowing a little relief as Hiccup's aura began to turn a gentler, more contented shade of yellow, now faced with the prospect of finding some solid ground. As the island drew closer Toothless' razor sharp eyes began scanning for potential threats be they human, dragon, animal or otherwise.

"Head for that mountain Toothless!" Hiccup urged, "We should be able to find a cave or something!"

Slowly the Nightfury circled around, following his friend's suggestion. Eventually Hiccup spotted a hole in the side of the mountain about a third of the way up and nudged Toothless to descend for a closer look.

" _Looks promising. For a cave!"_ The Nightfury thought sarcastically.

It wasn't so high up to be too cold, yet it was far enough away from the treeline that any beast or human attempting to sneak up on them would have to cross a lot of uneven, open ground making the cave easy to defend or escape from if necessary.

However such tactical concerns were secondary to Toothless who desired nothing more than to get Hiccup on the ground where he could rest. With a broad sweep of his wings Toothless and his rider landed deftly in front of the cave and stealthily walked inside.

" _I don't smell any threats nearby Hiccup"_ Toothless grumbled smoothly as he finally came to a stop, _"you can get off now!"_

However Hiccup did not get off. Hiccup did not do anything.

 **For 10 whole minutes.**

The wrecked Viking boy just sat in the saddle, his lungs straining loudly, his eyes watering, his hands still gripping firmly to the leather handles of his saddle.

In the low light Toothless' bright green eyes surveyed the child that was his responsibility now. He felt so proud of Hiccup's resilience yet overwhelming sympathy for the pitiful state it had reduced him to.

The Dragon felt wretched that this was state of affairs was all his fault!

The boy obviously couldn't bring himself to climb off so Toothless, deciding to give his own legs a rest as well, knelt down and laid on the floor to help his rider dismount. It was distressing for Toothless to see Hiccup move so slowly and painfully as he went about removing the basket that had been on his back

"You did….so well…to carry this thing bud!" Hiccup rasped petting the dragon with one hand while his other hand worked clumsily at the buckles that kept the pack on, "It's so heavy…..it must…weigh you down…awfully…I'm so sorry….for making you….carry it….so far!"

" _You never cease to amaze me boy!"_ Toothless warbled. Here he was a beaten, rejected, depressed, exhausted child and he was apologizing for being a burden to a dragon who had helped put him in that deplorable state, _"Is there no end to your selflessness?"_

But the boy paid his draconic compliments no mind and Toothless watched intently as Hiccup saw to his medical needs. The Nightfury only had a basic grasp of medicine but he knew humans had several natural remedies for their various ailments as well as special coverings for their wounds as they didn't have saliva that healed wounds, accelerated healing factors and fast reproducing layers of armour that covered over any injuries in a matter of hours. Eventually the boy had dealt with his injuries and even changed his clothes making him a little less bedraggled. But only a little.

" _You still look like you have had been dragged through a dragon nest backwards!"_ The Nightfury crooned in tired amusement.

Coming back to his ebony friend Hiccup stroked and nuzzled the dragon's head, wrapping his skinny arms around the Nightfury's neck as far as they could go.

"Thank-you….so…..much…..Toothless…..I love you bud…If it's….all the same…to you…I'm gonna sleep now" Hiccup whispered through his shivers

" _Of course human! Sleep! All will be well when you wake!"_ Toothless warbled in response.

However the Nightfury did something odd. Rather than open up his wings or wrap his tail around the boy as he had done in the past, Toothless stood up and backed away to the cave entrance leaving a bewildered Hiccup on the floor of the cave with a questioning look on his face.

"Toothless?"

" _No Hiccup. Not this time!"_ the Nightfury yipped as he took up his position and prepared for his act of repayment to the boy who endured more than anyone he had ever met. _"Now you will know a form of rest you have never experienced. You will feel the fires of the Nightfury as it protects and wards you from pain and harm this night!"_ Before the boy could question anymore Toothless ignited his inner flame and spewed plasma out of his mouth.

Carefully Toothless carved the protecting circle of purple flames around his boy. Soon Hiccup found himself surrounded by the pleasantly heated barrier of Nightfury flames. In the purple tinted twilight, Hiccup looked up at his draconic friend and smiled. The Nightfury nodded and smiled a gummy grin back.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Hiccup gestured to the steady stream of heat that was soothing his aching limbs, "No wonder you like to do this sometimes…it feels….great….AAAWWWWWW!"

Toothless couldn't help but chuckle at Hiccup's hopeless attempt to stifle his yawn. He watched intently as His boy's eyes got heavier and he shifted his position so Hiccup was now lying on his side in the centre of the flaming circle.

"Sorry Bud but I….I really need to sleep…..see..you in the …morning….."

Finally, after a day of conflict, hardship and heartbreak, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third finally succumbed to the beautiful embrace of deep sleep. It had been a rest well-earned and though it was still relatively early, Toothless knew Hiccup would sleep peacefully and well into the next morning. He was actually going to make sure of that.

" _Never fear my boy. I will be here watching over you. Sleep now and let the flames do their work!"_

Tomorrow was going to be just as earth shattering and exhausting, only for a different reason.

Closing his eyes and taking in another breath Toothless exhaled another blast of fire that fed into the circle he had already created. The purple flames danced higher and until they over three feet high.

The Nightfury warbled and grumbled as he quietly chanted ancient words that had been long forgotten and rarely spoken by any of dragon kind.

" _ **Gul musha'ghach chu'**_

 _ **Vumnis yabraj meq**_

 _ **Gastahvis tiqvetlh chu'**_

 _ **Chenmoh yinisoo!'"**_

The flames then began to bend inward coming ever closer to completely engulfing Hiccup. The Viking boy didn't even move for he was now completely paralysed by the Nightfury's arcane workings, unaware and unable to even stop the fire's advance. With a final quiet eruption of plasma from his mouth, the Nightfury flames crept over Hiccup's body, completely cocooning him in a tight body-hugging shell of dragon fire.

The boy should have moved. **He did not.**

The boy should have felt pain **. He did not.**

The boy should have screamed. **He did not.**

Hiccup remained deathly still within the flames that did not burn him but were working to re-forge him.

Toothless watched his handiwork with pride and satisfaction smirking at the irony of his day. At its beginning he used his fire to destroy one Viking child, now his using it to rebuild another.

The Nightfury shivered with excitement and anticipation and couldn't wait for the morning to come. He didn't care about how his own legs ached, how his wings were sore beyond imagining, not to mention the rough leather of the saddle and harness had been harshly digging into his scales the past 100 hundred miles as they flew. He knew how the boy had suffered before they met. He knew how badly the journey so far had affected him. He didn't even know how the journey would end.

But if there was one more thing he did know for sure, it was this.

Hiccup's mind was going to be literally blown when he woke up!

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **Two new chapters in two days!**

 **Granted they are the same story but I figured they are different enough to count.**

 **Now you have been through them. Do please let me know what you think of them both separately and as a pairing as I'd really like to know if it worked or not. Too much info? Not enough? I love multiple perspectives and this is a different stab at it.**

 **any opinions are welcome. lets discuss this!**

 **I am definitely taking a break from this story now to finish my work for 'scars' and 'I alone'. that's it! I promise! next update for my other fics will be up as soon as I can get them sorted. thank-you so much for your patience!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	13. Turn and face the strange

**Hello again everyone!**

 **Welcome back to Return of the Nightfuries!**

 **It has truly been a while. Life has been very odd for me these past few months and such strange days mean I haven't been able to update as much as I would like. Love, Life and Work have all conspired to keep me from uploading. yet that never stops me from thinking about these sagas. an update for scars and I, Alone should be up in the next couple of weeks as the summer has passed and I can get back to doing some hardcore writing!**

 **I submit my deepest thanks to everyone who has keeping track of things and encouraging me during this time. to you all, thanks!**

 **As before any comments reviews or PM's are greatly appreciated.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup and Toothless endured a harsh flight from Berk that left both Dragon and Rider suffering on many different levels.**_

 _ **Finally finding refuge on small Island ,Toothless cast a spell on Hiccup while he slept.**_

 _ **What were the affects and consequences of the spell?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **The Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 12 – Turn and face the strange**_

 **Warm.**

That was how Hiccup felt as he slowly re-joined the walking world. He could feel the heat radiate out from the middle of his chest to the tips of his extremities. His black dreamless sleep was being pleasantly intruded upon by the inspiring heat of the risen sun that beamed powerfully down on him through the cave's entrance. It was warmth more than just actual heat but something that brought a feeling of well-being. Hiccup's mind simmered like a steadily boiling cauldron of contentment.

However, as the young Viking became fully conscious, his memoires of the previous day's heartbreak and turmoil snaked their way to the forefront of his mind. He winced as he recollected his beating at the hands of Astrid, the violent retaliation as Toothless ravaged the shield-maiden and then their exodus flight filled with mental and physical anguish.

Hiccup shuddered as the worst day of his life forced his eyes open. Even from his horizontal lopsided position, he instantly recognized the cave from yesterday, his travelling pack and Astrid's axe still lying in the corner where he had unceremoniously discarded them. The air was heavy with the smell of Myrtle Root, charred rock and the bitter aroma of raw fish.

It was this final smell that tickled the young Berkian's nose to the point he forced himself to up to a seating position.

' _Where was it coming from?_ Hiccup thought _'This cave was a good distance from any kind of aquatic wildlife!'_

As he rose up Hiccup felt his abused body moan in protest. The combined heat and drugs he had taken had done wonders to dull the pain of yesterday but now that he was becoming fully cogent, he could feel the discomfort resurfacing with a vengeance. Surveying his bandaged form Hiccup deepened his breathing to flex the muscles in his chest and began testing his other limbs to see how useless they still were.

Typically, his body and limbs did not disappoint.

" **OUCH!...AH!...UGH!...OW!"**

Hiccup immediately had to take shallow breaths as his bruised ribcage rubbed sorely against bandages he had wrapped around himself. Tightness flowed from his palms, still stiff from the cast iron grip he had held the saddle with. His left leg was still painfully sore from adjusting the tailfin during the seemingly infinite flight he had endured. To cap things off the throbbing in his head had started to return and he felt he had no longer awoken from a peaceful slumber, but from something more akin to that night in the Great Hall when he was 9 and Snotlout had forced him to drink all that Meade.

He had woken up to the worst hangover and most irate father a child could have possibly imagined.

Heat still coursed through the cave and Hiccup begged for its soothing properties once more to relax him. But he was awake now, senses on high alert for what his first day of exile might bring. Being ever practical, he eyed his traveling pack and dragged himself over to it. After another course of water and pain relieving Myrtle Root, Hiccup limped his way to the mouth of his make-shift encampment.

"uuggghhhhhh!" he groaned as he staggered shakily out of the cave, eyes adjusting more to the unrelenting sunshine.

The sight that greeted Hiccup was alien yet familiar. From his high vantage point, the island he looked down on reminded him of his former home. The dark foreboding trees he had seen the previous evening where now a lush a verdant evergreen forest that stretched undisturbed down to what looked like a beach of bright golden sand. The late morning breeze brought the aroma of saltwater mixed with the thick musty sent of the nearby pines. This new smell pricked Hiccup's senses with the more pleasant memories he had of Berk and the happy times he had exploring it.

Yet, that was where the similarity ended. The topography of the land was different from Berk, foothills and forests gently sloping to meet the sea rather than ending in steep cliffs. There were birds he didn't recognize trilling and squawking in the air, strange plants scattered across the brush ground and even the ocean seemed to be a alien shade of azure blue compared the dull greys that usually swirled and coalesced around Berk. It uncomfortably reminded Hiccup he was no longer in a place he knew. He didn't know who or what lived on this island, who or what frequented the beaches, who or what might be hunting him from the shadows of the forest right now.

There could be unfriendly natives, wild animals, even hungry dragons!

" **A beautiful sight! Is it not?"** A deep and meaningful voice uttered close by.

"You're telling me, it really is beaut…wait…who's there?! What did you say?!"

Hiccup panicked, darting his gaze around to find the source of the voice that clearly wasn't his. He was further startled to land his gaze on his Nightfury companion who was still sitting inside the cave but had remained completely silent and unnoticed by the groggy young Viking.

Toothless was staring at him **.** _ **Hard**_ **.** His acid green eyes were slightly narrowed as if looking beneath his human skin to something deeper which made the boy slightly edgy.

"Toothless?" Hiccup cocked his head in confusion

The Nightfury slowly stood up and stalked to the mouth of the cave until he was only a foot away before he opened his large draconic jaws.

" **I said. A beautiful sight. Is it not?"**

Hiccup wasn't sure if he was still dreaming, or if he had taken the wrong medicinal root and was now suffering from some sort of mind bending hallucination.

"Uh..Toothless….did you just….."

" **Talk to you Hiccup?"** The black dragon interrupted cheerfully.

All Hiccup could do was nod

" **Of course I did!"**

All Hiccup could do was nod again

" **Well finally!"** the black dragon exalted bouncing on his forelegs **"Something that has rendered Hiccup Haddock speechless! I never thought it would be possible! Ha ha ha!"**

The dragon spun energetically on the spot and dived back into the cave seemingly not caring about his slack-jawed human. The Nightfury nosed about in the corner casually warbling away **, "I didn't want to wake you so I went out earlier and caught some fish for breakfast! It's not really as nice as that 'Icelandic Cod' you humans have but it will suffice".**

Toothless dumped two large fish at Hiccup's feet. The Nightfury looked down at them expectantly and back at Hiccup who still hadn't taken his eyes off of him. The black dragon tilted his head in bemusement at the silent boy who looked like he was no more than a statue.

" **Well? Aren't you going to eat?"** the Nightfury enquired incredulously.

" **YOU CAN TALK?!"** Hiccup didn't think a dragon could be frightened by a human, but the volume and sheer intensity of Hiccup's cry made Toothless jump back a few feet. In response Hiccup stumbled back and forth constantly daring to approach the Nightfury but always pulling back as a new disjointed thought over took his vocal chords.

"I mean….it's…. what the…..in the name of Thor….ah…ug..but….no this can't…how long did you…when did…..what is….I mean…HOW?!"

Toothless could not help let out a low draconic laugh and nuzzled his head into Hiccup's chest that stopped his boy's high pitched stutterings, uneven pacing and wild flailing arms. The gesture seemed the calm Hiccup's mind as well. Pulling back, Hiccup reigned his chaotic thoughts in as best he could and looked at Toothless again with worried eyes.

"Toothless, what happened? How….how am I able to understand you?"

" **Come boy, Look at this."** was all Toothless said as he gestured with his head.

Staring back into the cave, Hiccup saw that a large black circular scorch mark marred the floor. In the centre of it was the silhouette of the where he had been sleeping.

Hiccup and the dragon looked back at each other.

"Your dragon fire!..." Hiccup realised "…it did something… _you_ did something didn't you?!"

" **There is a lot more to dragons than you know Hiccup,"** Toothless intoned sagely **, "Nightfuries especially. We possess certain abilities that are rarely spoken of and are not usually shared with other beings."**

"Like what?" Hiccup whispered in awe.

" **Dragon magic!"** Toothless whispered with equal mystery in his tone.

"Magic? Are you kidding? I mean come on!" Hiccup moaned "oh Loki you must having a field day with this!"

The Nightfury couldn't help but smirk as Hiccup ran his hands through his chaotic hair trying to wrap his thoughts this startling development

' _ **Yep one human mind definitely blown!'**_ Toothless chuckled to himself.

Eventually Hiccup ran out of steam and breathing heavily, rested his hands on his knees to stop himself from passing out. The Viking boy had an open mind which was rare and sometimes dangerous, but even this seemed too much to take in. The idea dragons could communicate was nothing new to him but magic? That was new and it frightened the boy as his open mind strained to process what he thought he knew.

' _Magic was a dark force if the storytellers and seers where to be believed. To use magic was to trade away one's soul for otherworldly powers that eventually made you vile and corrupt. And that was just humans. Toothless was a dragon, a Nightfury and he was claiming he could wield those same supernatural forces like there was no price to pay?!'_

Hiccup began to tremble as feelings of violation, betrayal and paranoia sped his mind up to racing a mile a minute making him sweat and pant even harder as adrenaline coursed through his body.

"you...you changed me!…while I was sleeping!...what else did you do?!..." Hiccup said accusingly, regarding Toothless with wide suspicious eyes and suddenly took a step back, trying to gage how far he could get if he turned on his heel and bolted to the dark safety of the forest down the slope.

Immediately Toothless, using his 'true sight' realised the boy's apprehension.

" **Hiccup you need to calm down! I haven't done anything bad to you!"** _Toothless tried to sound reassuring_ **, "Dragon magic is unlike anything you know and I only ever use it for good!"**

"I…it's all too much…" Hiccup stuttered, "...I can't believe it!"

" **Hiccup please believe me, I only did it to help you! please let me explain",** Toothless intoned taking a step toward him.

"No wait stay back!" Hiccup defensively held his hand up, flinching. Worried he had maybe gone too far, Toothless sat back on his haunches and cooed softly, his eyes downcast, his shoulders and wings slumped as Hiccup gulped loudly through his heaving breaths, clinging on to his last shreds of decorum

"Magic is just a myth" Hiccup rasped out between breathes, "stories told in the old sagas!"

" **Hmmmmmm, And what do you think** _ **this is**_ **then human? Some deleted passage of Beowulf perhaps?!"**

The dragon's sudden blatant sarcasm drew an unbidden wry a smile from the Viking boy who took another step back to regard the ebony dragon in a way he had only really done once before. That wondrous moment when Toothless had first made physical contact with him in the cove. Everything was strange and frightening yet somehow new and comforting.

And like before, Hiccup was amazed beyond words.

He had been the first to see yet another hidden side to dragons that no other Viking had been privileged to witness. However mixed in his wide green awestruck eyes was a beckoning doubt and fear of this new unknown depth of dragon power.

Toothless could see Hiccup was still desperately trying to analyse the situation, his ever rational, logical mind trying to pull this revelation apart and put it back together again like some sort of invention or puzzle. Trying to reassure him more, Toothless spoke very softly and tenderly.

" **Hiccup, the _only_ thing I used my magic for was to give you the ability to understand the language of my kind. It is called Dragoneese. Now you can understand any dragon you wish! You are still you! That was all I did. By the great Mother and Father spirits I swear!"**

The boy seemed to relax a bit but stilled seemed on edge, his questioning eyes boring into the dragon's soul. The Nightfury shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny before tilting his large head upwards to the unspoilt blue oblivion that was the sky.

" **Up there…."** Toothless uttered **, "** _ **we**_ **were finally free but….** _ **you**_ **were so unhappy ….. I couldn't tell you we would be alright… to be unable to comfort you…I felt so….** _ **useless**_ **…...I wanted let you know you aren't alone….that I will always be there for you from now on….Are you…..are you alright with that?"**

At first Hiccup didn't respond. He seemed to be assimilating what the dragon was saying. Toothless began to worry he had finally broken his boy when he saw Hiccup's unblinking eyes burst, tears flowing down his cheeks as Hiccup openly wept, dropping his head.

" **Oh no! Hiccup what's wrong?!"** Toothless barked as he came closer wracked with concern and guilt.

"Nothing's wrong!" Hiccup cried as his head snapped up, a vibrant smile on his face as he lunged at the Nightfury. Toothless was startled by the intensity with which the boy threw his arms around his scaled head and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" Hiccup blurted through his joyful sobbing, "This is this...amazing Toothless….it's too much for words!"

Desperate to feel closer in this moment, Toothless shook Hiccup off his face, reared up and wrapped his paws and wings around his boy, eager to not only share his warmth but also his relief in Hiccup not rejecting him for his actions.

" **I hope it's not too much for words!",** the Nightfury intoned fighting back his own tears **, "I used a lot of my magic to able to speak to you human, I don't want it going to waste if you are going to shut up now!"**

Hiccup laughed in haggard breaths, wiping away his tears making the Nightfury's heart flutter in relief. "looks like I'm going to have some competition in the sarcasm department!" Hiccup chuckled as he drew back holding his dragons muzzle, stroking his scales vigorously.

Toothless purred deeply and gave him one final nuzzle before returning to the fish that still lay at their feet.

" **Well, how about I use my fire for something tastier this time?"** The Nightfury grinned his gummy smile at his rider.

"Sure bud I'm starving!" was all Hiccup could manage.

And eat they did, sharing much needed words of comfort and reassurance. Toothless vowed he would never use his magic on Hiccup again without the boy's consent while Hiccup promised he would maintain an open mind especially when it came to the more mystical aspects of the dragons. The trust and brotherhood that existed between them seemed to become even stronger as they ate with hundreds if not thousands of questions fighting to rip their way out of the Young Viking's head.

Strangely though, Hiccup was able hold back his rampant curiosity and limited himself to asking how Toothless felt during his time spent back on Berk in the cove. The young Viking seemed obsessed with apologizing for shooting the Nightfury down in the first place, to which the dragon would always respond to by saying, it was **'the worst and best thing that had ever happened to him'.**

When Hiccup asked repeatedly what the Nightfury meant, Toothless would just smile wryly and utter the phrase **"You will see soon enough my boy!"**

They spent the remainder of the day casually exploring the base of the mountain, sharing jokes and stories, Hiccup asking about other dragon species and Toothless happily regaling him with whatever he knew and then resting until night and sleep engulfed them once again. Only this time Hiccup slept peacefully in the snug embrace of his best friend, happier than he had ever been.

Little did the boy know, this would be the happiest he would ever be for long time.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, somewhere on the high seas.**_

"I'm telling you Barbo I saw it!" The shorter of the two men declared desperately, "It wasn't just a dragon, it was a Nightfury! Think of it! What if we caught it or even killed it! Think of the gold its hide would bring, the glory it would attract to our name! The fear you would wield as the villages and ships we raid realise who we are! Just give me more time!"

"For the last time I said no Eovard!" The taller man barked wearily as he strode up the deck of the long-ship passing catapults and warriors at their rowing benches. "I said I'd give you two days and we be finding nothing!" Barbo continued, hoping to further silence his belligerent first-mate, "We've wasted enough time on this blasted dragon hunt of yours. I don't care what you _might have seen_ in that spy-glass, there isn't an island around for miles for a dragon to land on and _we_ have to find a port to make berth for the winter!"

" **But** _ **captain**_ **please!"** Eovard said more forcefully. He knew he had seen a Nightfury a few days ago. It had been heading straight for them. It would not have stood a chance. But then at the last minute it turned tail and flew off in a different direction. Eovard was sure of it. He was sure they would find it. He was willing to bet his life on it.

He _wanted_ that dragon.

" _ **THAT'S ENOUGH EO!"**_ Barbo yelled, drawing the attention of every crewman both above decks and below as no-one had heard Eovard's name shortened in such a disrespectful way before. "You want to continue this _insanity_ then take a row boat and go off by yourself! You'll not lead my men to misfortune and death, not while I'm in command!"

A few moments of silence followed as the captain continued to stare down his first mate. The younger man's life long Nightfury obsession had been difficult enough to deal with in private. Now he was threatening to infect the entire crew. Barbo hoped he could quell it this time like he had before. The silence passed when Eovard unclenched his jaw and let out the breath he was holding.

"…..Very well….." Eovard bowed his head in contrition at the clear sign of authority that came from his older brother, captain and Viking pirate lord.

Barbo grunted in recognition and began to stomp away feeling a pang of guilt in his gut for having to discipline his own brother and first mate in front of the crew so forcefully. However the pang seemed to grow more painful as the seconds ticked by and when he instinctively looked down he realised why. Protruding from his aforementioned guilty gut was a foot and a half of razor sharp steel. As his body began to collapse in on itself, he heard the cold mournful voice of the man he had just turned his back on, cut through the fresh sea air.

"Then allow me to _relieve_ you of your command…captain."

With a violent tug the blade was gone. Barbo crashed to the deck looking up into the face of the man he had sailed the seas with for most of his adult life. Barbo's eyes, wracked with shock and betrayal met Edward's calculating and greedy expression as the life blood poured out the fallen man's body, staining the deck.

"….Eovard!?...Brother!?..." Barbo coughed in shock as his blood began flood his lungs.

"Sorry…. _captain_ ….but the crew needs better pickings than the rather meagre fare you be offering!" Evoard intoned.

"Damn you Eo!…you'll…never find the Nightfury…they…be gone….they all be gone!"

"We both know that's not true!" Eovard snarled at the dying man beneath him, "They will only be gone after _I'm_ done gutting them from head to tail!"

Barbo wanted to say more. He wanted to order his men to take revenge. He wanted to beg the Valkyries for a warm welcome into Valhalla. But mostly he wanted to curse this damn cur and implore Loki to ensure his traitorous brother died in the most excruciatingly painful way the god of mischief could conceive. But all that came out was a series of incomprehensible gurgles and splatters of blood from his now overflowed lungs.

With the fallen man now dead, Eovard turned to the still silent crew that stared at him, each man harbouring agendas and desires that Eovard knew lurked in the minds of every Viking raider.

"Anyone care to object to my _promotion?!"_ his voice rang out clearly across the ship.

A burly crewman shifted on his feet, hand moving to the hilt of his sword. The hand promptly slipped back to his side as the impact from the knife embedding in his skull rendered his entire body unresponsive and limp.

Edward stomped over and yanked out the blade he had thrown, causing shards of bone and brain to spill on to the deck.

"Anyone else?"

The communal shaking of heads signalled that he had solidified his position as the captain of the ship.

"Then best pass the word along!" Eovard declared darkly, "The fleet has a new captain and we be sailing on a new course! Have the other ship-masters and their first mates meet me in me quarters after dark!"

The crew remained still as Eovard stooped to pick up and sheave his brother's sword beside his own. He turned his gaze back the Vikings before bellowing.

" **Go on! Get to work you lazy swabbies!"**

At that the crew sparked to life as some returned to their regular duties as if nothing had happened while others began signalling to the other long-ships that sailed nearby. Eovard marched purposefully up the deck to where an equally grizzly and scarred Viking was manning the rudder oars.

"Flail!" Eovard barked jovially, "you be my new first mate! Get some men to throw those sacks of meat overboard!"

"Aye aye captain!" Flail chirped and passed the rudder to him, eager to please his new captain. From his position Eovard could see the ship returning to its natural rhythm, a manic smile splitting his weather beaten face.

"Aye lads! We be going in search of glory that will put us down in history forever!" He yelled triumphantly, "We be going off the edge of the map boys! We be going to find monsters! And if any of ye be feeling faint of heart, there be plenty of room in the sea beside my brother and his ilk!"

At that the crew cheered in response. Eovard knew his day had finally come as he saw all the men respond to his words not just with cheers but also with wide eyes and fear induced productivity. The best kind of productivity he knew.

He knew he would find that Nightfury, wherever it went.

He knew he had 20 ships filled with the archipelago's fiercest pirates under _his_ banner now.

He knew he would have to kill a few of the other captains who were loyal to his brother or fancied themselves strong enough to lead.

He knew his name would be remembered forever as the greatest Viking pirate ever.

For no-one and nothing would ever stop the now pirate-lord **'Eovard the Blackbeard!'**

* * *

 **There you are my friends!**

 **Hiccup and Toothless share a nice moment of respite before diving into a new adventure and a new character has entered the game. I know the real Blackbeard the Pirate didn't turn up for many centuries later but this guy does have a role to play in this story and me and Zyonzillia figured it would be cool to have some other wildcards in the mix outside of the regular dragons rogues gallery.**

 **The next chapter will deal with Hiccup and Toothless continuing in their journey and believe me, there is still much they have to talk about!**

 **As always, any comments reviews or PMs are greatly appreciated!**

 **Until next time**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	14. Across the Borderline

_**Greeting all!**_

 _ **Yet again the muses have struck me with the order not to sleep and so I have a new chapter for you all. it seems I have to make up for absence with a vengeance now. (it's 4am right now! What am I doing?)**_

 _ **anyway many thanks to all the folks who reviewed the last chapter. this one is for you guys!**_

 _ **As always an comments PM's or reviews are greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup and Toothless enjoyed some much needed rest and revelation**_

 _ **while a group of pirates found themselves with a new captain with a deadly new obsession.**_

 _ **Who will win out?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Part 13 – Across the borderline**

 _ **(1 week later, the Island)**_

"Looks like it _was_ here sir! You were right."

"Of course I was you sorry little ingrate! Keep searching!"

Eovard the Blackbeard was not your typical ignorant Viking – oh no! – he had learned a long time ago that to _defeat_ your enemy, you had to at least _understand_ your enemy. And in this case that enemy was dragons. And so he had studied everything he could about them. How to read the signs of their presence, tell the size and gender of the lizards by the marks they left and most importantly how to track and take the dam beasts down when the occasion called for it.

They pirate-lord had almost missed it, this pleasant hunk of unspoilt rock that rested just barely on the margins of his maps. After combing the island thoroughly his men had found this alcove with relative ease. The cave looked promising- for a cave- and it bore all signs that a dragon had been living here very recently.

Blackbeard knew from studying Typhoomerangs that the scorch marks on the cave floor was typical dragon behaviour for marking their territory. The piles of fish and boar skeletons in the corner told him the dragon had been feeding off the local wildlife for at least two or three days and had feasted well. They had even found a decent sized pile of dragon dung just down the mountainside that indicated the beast had been there.

All positive signs of a dragon. But this wasn't just any dragon Blackbeard was after and he knew now he was on the right track.

The Pirate-lord smirked darkly as he looked again into his cupped hands at the small pile of pure black dragon scales that had been collected by his men. There was no longer any doubt in the pirate's mind.

Nightfury scales.

"Aye beast, I've found you!" the man chuckled quietly to himself as he tilted the scales to reflect in the afternoon sun.

"Sir!" Flail called, hunched over one of the dark recesses of the cave, "You'd best be seeing this!"

With a few strides Blackbeard was leaning over his first-mate's shoulder trying to see what had caught the man's attention, barking impatiently, "What is it matey? What have you found?"

With slow deliberate movements Flail turned from his place on the floor and stood, bringing with him two pieces of soiled fabric. One was obviously a used bandage, it's once white linen stained with dirt and blood. Intriguing. But what really got the pirate's attention was the other item. For in Flail's hands was a tattered and soggy green tunic. Like the bandages it was torn and covered in dirt and blood.

Eovard took the garment gently in his hands examining the material. It was a small garment, like one made for a child. A _rich_ child as he could tell from the fine quality of the weave, the flawlessly even hue of the green dye not to mention the golden threads that spiralled on the sleeves and made up the hand stitched initials of _**HHH**_ below the neck line.

Eovard snapped his head to the pile of bones in the other corner and strode over, kicking and clattering them about as if searching for something. After a few moments he ceased his wild shuffling feet, Eovard straightened up and turned to look at his baffled men.

"The bones!" the captain muttered ominously, "They be not there! And that begs the question! If the bones be not here? Then where do they be?"

"What bones captain?" Flail asked sharing a worried glance with his fellow crewmen.

With wild ecstatic eyes Blackbeard held the ruined tunic towards his minions, his voice trembling with anticipation.

"Men!" Blackbeard bellowed, "Get the ships ready to sail! It be looking like this Nightfury is not alone! Ha ha ha ha!"

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile in the skies above the archipelago)**_

It had been a good week for Hiccup.

 **No longer did he feel lost**

The Nightfury had finally revealed where they were going and more importantly why he had been so eager to get there. Hiccup reeled with anticipation as to what they might find.

 **No longer did he feel loss**

It seemed the further he travelled away from Berk, the less he had to rely on his hate of it to sustain him. Oh he _would_ return one day and take his revenge. He hadn't forgotten what they had done to him. However he had other more interesting things to occupy himself for now.

 **No longer was he hungry**

He and Toothless had feasted like kings. Mostly it had been fish but when they were feeling playfully greedy or in the mood for a change, the Nightfury would vanish off into the woods and bring a prize piece of game or Hiccup would sneak into a nearby village and purchase some of the local fare.

 **No longer was he cold**

After enduring many apologies from Toothless for his original frenetic speed, Hiccup savoured the more relaxed pace at which he and the Nightfury flew. The little island hopping technique they had adopted had allowed them to cover an almighty distance in the span of only 5 days. Hiccup had learned to wear more suitable attire as they flew through the cold sea air and at nights he enjoyed snuggling up in the talons of his dragon's warm embrace.

 **No longer was he in pain**

Well mostly. He still had to take daily doses of Myrtle Root to ease his pain but overall he was feeling much better. The slower pace Toothless had set allowed him to spend more hours flying comfortably and refining his operation of the prosthetic tail fin. Every once in a while they would try out new tricks and crazy stunts to break up the monotony of their long flight, much to their collective enjoyment.

And overall the last thing Hiccup felt was regret. Through the long in-flight conversations with his dragon, Hiccup had finally come to realise what Toothless meant about his being shot down representing the best and worst experience of his life. For though the dragon had lost his ability to fly by himself, Toothless had now gained what Hiccup had gained.

A second chance at belonging, a loyal friend, a new life, absent of abuse, torture and ridicule and above all, freedom to fly away from unloving fathers and tyrannical Queens.

"So that's it?!" Hiccup asked amazed "It makes perfect sense now, it's like a beehive! The dragons are the drones and the Queen, she controls them?"

" **Indeed my boy"** Toothless nodded in time with his wings flapping, **"and if any dragon didn't bring food back for the Queen they would be eaten!"**

"Then why don't the dragons just fly away like you did bud?"

" **Because she is an Alpha!"** Toothless muttered bitterly, **"we all live under her command, as bitter and twisted as it is. Her word is law, we are little more than slaves…for twenty years I…I was….."** the Nightfury trailed off leaving Hiccup to ponder just how difficult it must have been for the remarkable ebony beast being a prisoner in his own body.

" **Besides!"** Toothless chirped not wanting to hash his out old bitter memories just yet, **"not all dragons are fortunate enough to be hauled out of the sky by inventive young Vikings and their machines, only have some sense knocked into them by crashing into a tree!"**

"Oh! I did apologize for that didn't I?" Hiccup asked sheepishly crimson tinting his face in embarrassment.

" **Why Yes you did Hiccup!** _ **many times**_ **!"** drawled the dragon to keep the mood light.

"Sorry bud" Hiccup said guiltily.

" **No need my human!"** Toothless declared triumphantly, **"It was the impact and my bonding with you that allowed me to remember who I was and where my home is. We Nightfuries have always been a proud race so to fall under the sway of that mountain sized abomination is something I never wish to happen again!"**

"And who were you back home?" Hiccup asked curious about the life Toothless had before meeting him.

" **I was one of the top warriors of my kind!"** the Nightfury roared proudly, **"only second to my father who is the Alpha of all Nightfuries, the most dangerous and powerful member of our clan!"**

"Dangerous?" Hiccup yelped in uncertainty "as in, like the Queen?!"

" **What?"** the black dragon answered awkwardly **"Oh no! no, no no, Nothing like the queen!…."**

Although Hiccup did not possess the Nightfury's 'true-sight' he could quite easily tell his dragon was now tense and hiding something.

"Do I sense a 'but' coming in here bud?" Hiccup drawled sarcastically.

" **But….!"** Toothless had to pick his words very carefully **"…..he is known to be very…** _ **firm**_ **."**

"I see." Hiccup intoned already running his palm down his face, "And let me guess! You two don't really get on very well!"

" **You could say that"** the dragon muttered in defeat.

"Well this relationship feels eerily familiar!" Hiccup announced with equal amounts of fatigue and sarcasm.

But as Hiccup leaned back to start thinking how he could deal with this new development, he noticed the tranquil sky ahead was marred by a huge wall of dark grey clouds that seemed to reach from sea level to the edge of the atmosphere. From within the shifting mass, flashes of lightening could be seen along with distant rumbles of thunder.

"This!? Not so much!" Hiccup stuttered in worry, "uh….what's going on bud?!"

" **We need to pass through the veil, my home lies on the other side!"** Toothless intoned narrowing his eyes in concentration.

"Figures we'd have to pass through a wall of lightening and death in order to find the home of the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself!" Hiccup joked in the face of the wall of elemental fury that was now looming over both them, making Hiccup feel like little more than a speck of dust in the wind.

" **Hiccup!"** Toothless barked firmly in warning, **"things are going to get…..a little rough!"**

"When do they never?" the Viking boy quipped as he tightened his flight harness to the saddle and leaned down as close as he could to the Nightfury's back.

" **HOLD ON MY BOY!"** the black dragon exalted **"IT'S TIME TO RIDE SOME LIGHTENING!"**

With that Hiccup held on for dear life against the shockwave that burst around him as the Nightfury pumped its wings to give one massive bolt of acceleration, gaining altitude and piercing the cloud bank like a sleek black arrow.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile on Berk)**

"And so that is why my son is no longer welcome on Berk ever again! Any who sees him must capture him so he can be brought back to answer for his crimes and a proper sentence can be handed down!"

The entire Hairy Hooligan tribe sat dumbfounded and shocked at the wild tale that their chief had just told them. Of course they all knew something monumental had happened a week ago seeing Stoick and his hunting party had returned without Hiccup, under oaths of secrecy not to say anything. The past week had seen a distinct amount of tension building up around the village and now they finally knew reason why.

The Berkians had been told the whole bare truth of the matter and to say they were even more unsettled was the biggest understatement this side of Ragnorok.

"So what do we do Stoick?" Bucket asked giving voice to collective bewilderment of the tribe.

"Simple!" Stoick replied ever so 'stoically', "We prepare for war! A war unlike any other. A war with a Nightfury being led by my son!"

At that the Great Hall erupted with ferocious jeers of protest, anger and terror that took Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout combined several minutes to bring back to order.

"How can we fight a war against the dragons in the nest and your son at the same time?! It's outrageous!" Hoark yelled earning groans of approval.

Stoick still maintaining his calm 'chiefly' demeanour turned to answer the valid question "Firstly…."

"…Ah who cares!" a brash youthful voice interrupted, "so what if _useless_ was able to train a dragon?! He's flown away like the coward he is and he won't come back!..."

Many in the room gulped in fear at the sheers balls Snotlout displayed as he strutted to the front to the Meade hall to stand beside the chief. The kid had guts they all gave him that. However the tribe was pretty sure now was not the time for his boastful antics. But as usual, Snotlout's mouth was now in command and would stop for nothing as he kept on going.

"….. and even if he did return, he'll not be able to face me and my raw Viking awesomeness, especially once I'm all trained up to be chief now he's GUH!….."

' **THWACK!'**

A wave of gasps washed over the hall as Snotlout's sentence was brutally cut short. The backhanded slap to the face delivered by Stoick catapulted the arrogant boy all the way across the room until he slammed into a nearby Meade barrel.

As the fog lifted from his stunned brain Snotlout fought hard to choke back tears of terror and pain as he saw the vast man that was his chief and uncle advance toward him. Snotlout screamed as he tried to scramble away only to be lifted by the front of his tunic into the air by clenched fists that could easily pop Deadly Nadder heads clean off.

"No no no! What are you doing? Stop! Someone help me!" the bulky teen yelped.

" **SHUT UP!"** Stoick roared at the teenager, spittle and rage splattering in the Jorgensen boy's face as he whimpered.

"It was because of your stupid actions that we are in this mess! You and your so called friends bullied my son to the point where he would rather side with that black devil than his own family!"

"B-b-b-but it wasn't just me!" Snotlout screeched in agony flailing his arms, pointing at everyone he could see in his line of sight, hoping to direct the chief's ire at someone else, "it was all of them! all of them!"

"Oh I know boy! And they will all suffer, I'm pretty sure Hiccup will make certain of that!" With that Stoick nodded his head to a corner of the room and Snotlout followed his gaze.

There in the shadows sat Astrid with her parents either side of her. The former Shield-maiden was still bound head to toe in bandages, her head bowed, eyes locked to the floor, quietly muttering the four words that had become her own personal mantra. She had been like that all week and only Gothi knew if the girl would ever snap out of it. The elder and mystic had severe doubts.

"Hiccup loved _that girl_ more than anyone on this island and _that_ was what he did to her!" Stoick growled at Snotlout drawing the boy's attention back to his baleful green eyes, "if he can do _that_ to the greatest young Viking Berk has ever seen, what do you think he'll do to cowardly scum like you?"

With that Stoick dropped Snotlout to the floor and ripped the boy's helmet from his head. He looked at the ram horned helm that was the symbol of the child's Viking-ness. Hiccup never wore a helmet. There was never one small enough for him. Not even the one Stoick had crafted for him from Valka's breastplate and now was the only thing left hanging on the wall of Hiccup's bedroom, a testament to his failure as a father. It was true Hiccup was no _real_ Viking, but neither it seemed was the disrespectful wretch that was now quivering at his feet.

Stoick let Snotlout's helmet fall to the floor with a brash **'CLANG'** before silencing it with a sickening **'KLURCH!'** by slamming his thick boot into it, crushing the headpiece into nothing more than a buckled, worthless scrap of steel.

" **DAD! Why are you just standing there?! Help me!"** Snotlout called out in desperation to the one man who really should have put a stop to this. Stoick looked to Spitelout in a way that dared him to intervene and see just how far his chief would go. In the end Spitelout merely nodded and turned his head, accepting Snotlout's humiliation as fair recompense for the lifetime of abuse Hiccup had suffered.

Reeling from the shock at what he took as his father's betrayal, Snotlout turned to the stunned audience and yelled, "Someone help me please!"

"Be quiet boy!" Spitelout snapped, drawing his son's attention "take your lumps like a man! Bruises heal, be thankful that's the only mark you receive!"

"But….But I'm the heir now he can't do that to me!"

"Oh you think so!" Stoick growled lowly as he loomed over the trembling boy who now had a distinct wet patch forming in his trousers, "I'll tell you one thing and then tell you no more."

Stoick leaned in and though he whispered, he knew every Viking in the room would hear him.

" **YOU. WILL. NEVER. BE. HEIR!"**

Leaving the wide-eyed slack-jawed bully on the floor to absorb his decree Stoick turned back to face the rest of his terrified tribesmen resuming the business-like, stone faced façade he usually sported when making difficult decrees.

"My son is gone. A liar, a traitor and a dragon collaborator. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is no more. He is no longer a member of this tribe, he is no longer a Viking and he is no longer….my son. And my nephew is no longer my heir!"

"So who will be the heir?" Bucket called out from the back.

"A new heir will be found!" Stoick intoned in response.

"What do you mean Stoick? Trial by combat? A grand tournament to see who will be the next chief?" Baldur Hofferson asked, taking his eyes of his traumatised Viking prodigy of a child for the briefest of moments.

"No! I am just as much a cause of this as anyone, so I will be the one to help remedy it."

The hall fell deathly silent as faces of hope and ambition suddenly fell into confusion as they silently begged to know what Stoick planned to do.

"I…I will take new wife and sire new heirs myself! Then we will fortify the Island and prepare for war! Hiccup and his dragon are coming and no matter how long it takes, we will be ready for them! "

And at that hundreds of Viking jaws hit the floor of the Great Hall of Berk!

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!**

 **hope you guys liked that. three camps are now moving on with their lives.**

 **next time we see what kind of welcome Hiccup and Toothless receive and maybe a little more.**

 **any comments, reviews or PM's are greatly appreciated**

 **Until next time**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	15. You are (not) Welcome! PT1

**Hey everyone.**

 **Well it looks like the creativity gremlins won't leave me be with this story and due to popular demand I have a new chapter for this story. Part 2 isn't ready yet and I wanted to give you something before it became too big and unwieldy.**

 **I can't thank you guys enough for all the support you have given myself and my buddy Zyon (now 'core of justice') with this story and I hope you guys will enjoy the continuing story.**

 **any PM's reviews or comments are greatly appreciated**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Last time, a week had passed and Stoick told Berk his plans for the future which did not include Snotlout,**_ _ **but did include a new wife!**_

 _ **The Viking Pirate Lord Blackbeard and his crew discovered they were on the right track to find the dragon**_

 _ **and possibly someone else!**_

 _ **And Hiccup and Toothless crossed into the mysterious barrier, dubbed 'The Veil'**_

 _ **to face new challenges and adventures!**_

* * *

 _ **Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 14**_

 _ **You are (not) welcome! Part 1**_

 _ **(On the land)**_

It starts with a breeze.

At first it is like any other of the infinite, indiscernible, ever changing movements of the atmosphere.

However this miniscule eddy of air carries with it something more.

It carries a whisper... a promise... it plays with the senses like a child's game, like a lover's caress, like a warrior's battle cry!

The lightest of breezes dances above the feelings of loss and fear that has held sway over hearts and minds for decades.

As eyes snap open and noses lift to the sky to confirm the original suspicion, the breeze becomes a wind.

A wind of freedom... a wind of reassurance ... a wind of hope…..a wind of finding that which was thought lost.

The land begins to writhe as numerous indiscernible forms move and slither past one another, agitation and anticipation passing through them like an infectious fever.

Barks, growls and hisses give voice to frustration as no-one wishes to be the one to speak the truth for fear of being proven wrong.

The desire for action pricks their senses like an itch that cannot be scratched. The cacophony, a danger-sign of docile creatures turning rabid.

But a massive rumbling growl silences the gathering.

From the impenetrable, abysmal shadows of a huge cave an even darker living shadow emerges and towers over the beings that quickly kneel before it.

Blazing green eyes survey bowed heads and supplicant followers.

The silence that falls is as tangible and tormenting as the breeze that started this near riot.

The imposing shadow lifts his nose to the sky and takes a long inhale. He closes his eyes, his mind picking the air apart, savouring it as he recognises one particular component, a dark grin crossing his jaws.

Lowering his head he speaks with a booming deep voice that vibrates through the air with the strength of ages, unquestioning power over the lands and sky and the glory of near invincibility.

" **He has returned! Go! Find him and bring to me! I would break words with my youthful shadow!"**

With that, dark wings unfurl as several black forms vault into the sky at blistering speeds, heading for a particular spot on the bleak horizon.

The huge black form returns to his cave, relishing the confrontation that is to come as he muses to himself.

" **Yes my son…..Come to me!"**

* * *

 _ **(In the house)**_

It had been a long day for Stoick the Vast.

A very long, very tiring day.

Oh and by the way, Did I say it had been a long day?

The Chief of Berk had never been so overwhelmed in one meeting before. The announcement that he would be taking a new wife completely overshadowed the earth-shattering news that Hiccup had not only flown off on a Nightfury a week ago but had practically declared war on all of Berk. Many voices sounded out in favour of Stoick's decision, some dissenters were always going to be present, keeping their minds focused on the threat of Hiccup, while many were just confused by the whole damn thing.

Stoick's devastation at the loss of Valka was practically known to every citizen of Berk. It was one of the first stories the adults told their children when they were of the age they could understand. Stoick loved his dead wife more than anything, yet no-one was allowed to talk about her or suggest that dragons could be anything but wild, unholy, mindless beasts. The parents wanted their children to grow up free of Stoick's disapproval.

After what was literally hours of arguing and justifying his position, Stoick finally left a mostly satisfied tribe to either stay in the Great Hall to come up with ideas to fortify the island or surrender their uncertainty to the power of Meade. He was going to do the latter but, as was his right, he was going to retreat to the privacy of his home to quietly drown his own screaming sorrows, doubts and questions.

It was a long, lonely walk down the steps. Even though his house would be the first one he would reach, it finally hit Stoick that the clumsy boy he had tried to raise and love as his son would never set foot there ever again. Should he still be angry or sad? Stoick didn't know anymore.

But the one thing that could distract a Viking's heart was their stomach. A long growl rippled from his chest and Stoick realised the meeting had gone on for so long, he hadn't even had a chance to eat. Now he was alone in the street with a sore head, a growling stomach and nothing but the prospect of a cold, empty, comfortless house to greet him.

"Looks like it's straight to bed then" Stoick grumbled as he leaned on his heavy front door and slowly pushed it open.

Upon closing it and turning to face his dark hall, Stoick was greeted with a sight so unusual it would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Stoick gazed about his house with eyes wide and mouth agape. The entire room had been cleaned and polished to near spotlessness.

His clothes and weapons that had been left haphazardly on the backs of chairs or on the floor were either folded neatly away or hung back meticulously on their respective hooks on the walls. The fire pit, which Stoick expected to be cold and lifeless, crackled vibrantly, casting warmth and a welcoming yellow /orange glow over every surface. At first Stoick feared, in his confusion he had walked into the wrong house, so stark was the transformation before him.

A quiet rattling of metal with the sound of steady shuffling feet from the pantry startled Stoick out his haze and he instinctively reached for one of the throwing axes in his belt. If an Outcast had decided to sneak into his house and assassinate him then he would be ready.

' _Though usually, people cleaned up_ _after_ _they murdered someone'_ Stoick thought. The whole backwards nature of this scenario was only making the Chief's headache worse.

"Alright! Come out where I can see you!" Stoick growled threateningly. The sound of quickly moving feet to the pantry door had Stoick poised with arm raised and axe ready to fly at whoever this benevolent murderer was.

The pantry door opened and out stepped a figure Stoick knew well, but was the last person he expected to see in his home.

"You're late." the woman dead-panned closing the pantry door and setting a loaf of bread down on the table seemingly not noticing or even caring of the battle-stance Stoick was in.

"Okaaaaaay, not the welcome I was expecting!" Stoick drawled in sarcastic confusion.

"I've made stew, once you've eaten we can get down to business" The woman said, ignoring his comment and approaching Stoick, who out of sheer bewilderment had let his axe arm come back to his side. With a brisk step the maiden-warrior was in front of him and with movements so swift and nimble, she plucked his axe from his fist and undid the belt of throwing axes from around his waist.

"First rule at supper is that I'll have no weapons at the table!" was all that she said as she escorted him to his chair and made him sit. At first Stoick seemed to forget even how to eat as the bowl of stew was placed in front of him. But muscle memory and a kindly growl from his stomach reminded him until he was greedily satisfying his voracious appetite. And all the while out of the corner of his eye he watched the woman bustle from one end of the room to the other, polishing his axes, sewing his garments and ensuring everything was in order.

It was such a surreal experience. To think that instead of spending the night all alone, he was being looked after by a woman he had known all his life. A woman who had a reputation for her savagery and mercilessness in battle, a woman who had swam all the way around Berk non-stop, a woman who had won the rare honour of placing first in dragon training when they were children.

And now, here she was fulfilling the role of the seemingly perfect docile housewife. It was nearly unthinkable, for the woman who was tending to his needs was none other than Berk's most veteran maiden-warrior, Phelgma the Fierce!

* * *

 _ **(In the sky) **_

"Left! Right! Right again! Barrel roll!"

Hiccup kept calling out directions for Toothless to dive in order to avoid several strikes of lightening that lanced close to the beleaguered travellers as they passed through the storm clouds that constituted what Toothless had ominously called 'The Veil'.

" **Don't worry Hiccup! It isn't far now! We should be clear in a few minutes!"** The ebony dragon called back as he barrel-rolled back to the left with precious little warning.

"Great Bud!" Hiccup drawled, still looking around warily, "Because I think my stomach is going to be clear if we have to evade any more lightening bolts!"

Toothless chuckled at the Viking boy's wit. _ **'Even in such abysmal weather Hiccup could still inspire a bit of humour!'**_

"Are the skies around your home always like this?!" Hiccup asked, worry clear in his voice.

" **Only along the borders!"** Toothless warbled reassuringly **"It's what has kept the outside world at bay! Not even the Queen who controls the other dragons can reach us here with her siren song. One of the many advantages of 'The Veil'. Home rests in the centre!"**

' _ **Home'.**_

That word seemed to hold new meaning for both boy and dragon. Hiccup's heart swelled with anticipation. He looked forward to meeting the other Nightfuries Toothless had told him about and what more he learn about the highly enigmatic dragons. Toothless on the other hand was trembling with delight as he would finally be reunited with his beloved family and could not wait for the joyous reunion he had planned out in his mind.

Eventually they passed through the storm clouds of 'The Veil' and in the late evening light, Hiccup finally beheld the place that Toothless had been enthusiastically telling him about all week. It was a place that existed only in half spoken rumours, myths and tall tales told by passing bards and storytellers. The Nightfury was panting heavily as his eyes took in his home.

' _ **The Isle of Night!'**_

Though the sun was very low on the horizon, the sky a dull over cast, clouds heavy with threatening rain, both travellers could make out the island very clearly now. Well, when they said 'island' it was more like a small country! The Isle of Night was positively huge and easily 5-6 times the size of Berk!

On the northern end were high mountains that swept severely down to the sea on the coastal side but were greeted by gently sloping foothills further inland. These foothills gave way to a vast sprawling jungle that covered the majority of the island. Rivers and lakes dotted the landscape and wide patches of green fields patch-worked the more flat grounds which greeted the sea on the eastern and western shores in many natural coves and bays. The entire island seemed to be ringed by one long continuous golden beach that framed it like a natural halo.

"So this is where your kind lives? It's amazing bud!" Hiccup gasped in awe at the overwhelming natural beauty of the island, his mind already going into overdrive with excitement at all the places he and Toothless would explore together.

However Hiccup's awe was slightly dented when he finally took in the southern point of the island. It seemed that the forests abruptly gave way to a very large seemingly barren wasteland of dark rock. Hiccup estimated the area was a few times bigger than Berk village. There were many hills and valleys and tall spikes of rock that stretched several hundred feet into the air as well as high cliffs that jutted out sharply into the sea that smashed against them. It was a foreboding grey sight compared to the rest of the welcoming greens, browns, whites and blues the rest of the land seemed to offer.

" **You're going to love it here my human"** the Nightfury warbled, secretly revelling in Hiccup's elation at what The Isle of Night had to offer, **"once we land, I will show…."**

" **DIE!"**

" **KILL!"**

" **DEATH!"**

" **ATTACK!"**

" **DIVE!"**

" **TREACHERY!"**

Toothless' head whirled around in every direction at the sudden growls and roars that thundered out of the swirling clouds around them.

"Toothless?! What's happening?" Hiccup yipped, fear clearly evident in his voice.

Toothless' eyes narrowed in confusion before flying open in realisation.

" **They're not coming for me, they're coming for...NO WAIT!"**

Before either dragon or human realised it, a dark shadow struck out of the clouds and slammed heavily into Hiccup, wrenching him from the saddle. Toothless looked on aghast at the terrified face Hiccup bore as he fell earthward, his fleshy hands reaching fruitlessly against gravity up to his best friend.

" **HICCUP!"** Toothless screeched as he immediately folded his wings and began a straight vertical dive toward his boy who was now spinning out of control with nothing but cold unfeeling rock and spiky looking trees below to greet him.

In these circumstances, the one thing Toothless could do well…. _was fall._

Without his boy to operate his tail fin, it was all the dragon could do. He had to save his boy. He was _going_ to save his boy.

' _ **And when I do save him'**_ Toothless raged internally _**'I will make whoever did this pay dearly!'**_

" **Hiccup! I'm almost there!"** The Nightfury barked as he pulled alongside the Viking child as they plummeted together.

"Toothless help me!" Hiccup squealed over the howling winds as he tried find a way to steady his fall and latch on like he had before on their first training flight.

" **Grab on!"** Toothless yelled as he rotated his body to angle the saddle towards Hiccup.

The ground was now getting dangerously close but Toothless wasn't worried. A tug at the saddle made him realise Hiccup had managed to grab on. He was about to open his wings to slow their descent when a large black streak shot in front of him, throwing his balance off again.

Another streak came...and another...and another!

The last streak slammed into him and the Nightfury was pitched cruelly away, tumbling out of the sky now. Toothless roared in fury as his whole body flailed impotently, a mass of wings, limbs and tails engulfing him, seemingly dragging him to the ground in the most brutal, chaotic way possible.

Through the morass of writhing shadows Toothless could make out that Hiccup had been similarly engulfed by other shapes that bore a startling resemblance to his own. They were grabbing and thrusting at his boy, stopping his fall only to let him go and then catch him again. Toothless wanted to fire off a plasma blast but as the thought to do so struck his mind, a powerful impact struck his back.

Only this time it wasn't one of the black streaks. The sound of splintering wood and the rough feeling of being dragged through many branches alerted Toothless to the fact that he was now crashing through the trees of the forest. Despite the branches slowing his decent, Toothless still hit the soft forest floor with an almighty thud, still engulfed by a multitude of dragon limbs and parts he knew were not his own. Recovering immediately from his daze, Toothless' mind was fixated on only one thing.

" **Hiccup! Where is my Hiccup?!"** the Nightfury screeched breathlessly as he roughly disentangled himself from his attackers and planted all four feet on the ground desperate to get his bearings. Straightaway he caught Hiccup's scent to the south and bolted through the tightly packed trees towards his boy. With any luck he would find him in one piece.

Bursting through a small clearing he could practically feel the Viking's presence and picked up his pace.

 _ **THUMP!**_

A large shadow slammed into the clearing right front of Toothless and reared up, emitting a roar that made the Nightfury skid to a halt.

" **FREEDOM!"** the dark creature roared.

' _ **I don't have time for this!'**_ the Nightfury raged to himself and he turned to leave in another direction.

" **SAVED!"**

Toothless found his path blocked as a second shadow lunged down from the sky.

" **HE IS RETURNED!"**

The Nightfury was now seriously pissed off as this third creature cut off his last avenue of escape. Rearing up on his hind legs, Toothless threw out his wings and let out the fiercest, longest roar he could muster. It echoed everywhere and the air literally rippled with power as the Nightfury declared himself.

" **GET OUT OF MY WAY OR I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL! I MUST HAVE MY HUMAN!"**

As one, the three other dragons repeated Toothless' movement and roared back, declaring their refusal to his demand. Toothless lowered himself into a fighting stance and prepared to lunge at what he assumed was his lead attacker, his eyes narrowed to slits in aggression.

" **I'll tell you one last time! Get out of my way! NOW!",** Toothless growled, plasma already starting to super-heat in his throat.

" **Be at peace…** _ **brother!**_ **"**

' _ **Brother?'**_

That word seemed to halt Toothless in his tracks and for the first time he looked properly at the dark creature that was blocking his path in a far less aggressive posture now. The Nightfury steadied himself as he began to realise that this particular creature was not just a dragon.

It was a Nightfury...

And this was not just any Nightfury, It was…..

" **Nightbreaker?...Is…Is that you?"** Toothless whispered to the large dragon with burning red eyes.

The shadow slowly came forward and stood only a few feet away from him and in that moment Toothless recognized the Nightfury that was his younger brother.

" **Yes...it is I."** The heavy set Nightfury intoned in a deep bass voice.

Toothless was stunned. His younger brother had grown much since the last time he had seen him. Turning to the other two Nightfuries his eyes widened in joy when he realised who they were.

" **Shade! Twilight!"** Toothless roared with delight as he bounded toward the pair.

 **"Aye brother! It is us!"** Twilight declared in joy. Her smooth, beautiful voice seemed to have only gotten more graceful over the years, as had her shimmering silver eyes. Toothless had always marvelled at how his sister had gotten his mother's amazing eyes. Eyes that could analyse any situation or seek out a target with devastating precision.

" **Brother! you're finally home! We missed you so much!"** Shade happily bellowed, drawing Toothless' attention.

" **And I you!"** Toothless warbled in response as he butted heads with his energetic younger brother who he had always enjoyed many adventures with on The Isle of Night when they were young adolescents, keen to explore the world around them.

As if following some unspoken agreement, all four siblings suddenly came together into a huddle, each dragon rubbing themselves against Toothless and each other in a form of bonding that was only shared between nest siblings. Toothless took in all of their scents and they his, for it had been so long, they had practically forgotten what they smelled like. It was an incredibly important thing for them to know as it not only helped bond them as a family but also let them find each other easily in a society comprised of only Nightfuries. Toothless purred warmly and his heart felt like it would burst with happiness at once again feeling the touch of his brothers and sister.

It had been so long. _So so long_ since he had been with them and embraced them, Toothless feared he would weep. He didn't want this moment to end.

" **We are so happy you are back Shadow!"** Nightbreaker warbled, breaking the communal embrace.

Toothless twitched at the mention of the name.

" **That is not my name any more brother!"** the green-eyed Nightfury stated evenly.

" **What?!"** Shade asked incredulously.

" **Then what are you called?"** Twilight asked evenly, her silver eyes glimmering as they carefully scrutinized her brother.

" **my name is…."**

"… _TOOTHLESS!"_

The shrill yet unmistakably human cry broke out in the distance snapping the Nightfury's head in the direction from which it came.

" **Hiccup?..."**

Toothless made to begin running again when Nightbreaker stepped in front of him.

" **Fear not brother!"** Nightbreaker intoned darkly **"The human that dared to enslave you will be** _ **dealt with!**_ **"**

" **Dealt with? What do you mean?"** Toothless demanded, slightly confused.

" **We mean he will never lay his filthy hands on you or anything** _ **ever again!**_ **"** Shade chuckled lowly with a wicked glee in his fiery blue eyes.

Toothless' eyes however went wide with panic and before any of his siblings could react, he was off like a shot again, bolting through the trees towards where the sound of the screaming could be heard, along with the sound of snarling, growling and the snapping of dragon jaws.

" **Hold on Hiccup! I'm coming!"** The irate Nightfury roared.

" **Where is he going? And what is a** _ **Hic-cup**_ **?!"** Shade asked his stunned brother and sister.

" **let us find out! Quickly!"** Twilight urged as she took off at a sprint after Toothless, Shade and Nightbreaker following right behind her. As the silver eyed Nightfury dashed through the woods, dodging trees and following in Toothless' wake she couldn't help but wonder why her older brother had chosen to run instead of fly.

' _ **Was it something to do with that odd brown restraint on his back? Where the wires running down his side preventing him from flying? Was it something to do with the strange smelling material covering his left tail fin? Why was her brother even so concerned?'**_

These questions and more flooded her mind. She would find answers to them all, for that was who she was. She would unravel this mystery. And if that meant prolonging the suffering of that tiny dreadful human her kin were now seeing to, then so be it!

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **definitely not the welcome some of these characters were expecting I think.**

 **A few notes:**

 **The title of this and the next chapter are referencing one of my favourite animes of all time!**

 **For those who don't know 'Phlegma the fierce' is a character from the HTTYD universe but I don't much else about her so anything I write about her will be my own version of the character. you will learn more about her in the next chapter.**

 **'The Veil' and its properties / nature will be explored in future chapters as well. I couldn't think of what else to call it and I was inspired by one of my favourite HTTYD fanfics 'Hail to the king' which I highly recommend you check out. Think of it as a 'Burmuda Triangle' type barrier that prevents the Isle of Night from being found.**

 **Hiccup's fate will also be revealed in the next chapter and we will meet some more very important and interesting characters.**

 **We got to meet some of Toothless' siblings this time around. Their relationships and skills will be explored in the future. Toothless isn't the only Nightfury with special abilities and I'm going to have a lot of fun bringing new stuff to the fore as the story progresses.**

 **And we got to learn what Toothless was called before he met Hiccup. The name isn't that original, I'll admit but it's only going to be a big deal for a short time and it will lead to an important plot point later on.**

 **As always any questions, comments, reviews or PM's are greatly appreciated.**

 **Many thanks for taking the time to read.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**


	16. You are (not) Welcome! PT2

_**Hey guys**_

 _ **Back again with another update.**_

 _ **Not much to say here but that this takes over right after part 1. some interesting stuff going on and I hope you like it. we get introduced to a few characters who will be important later on but for now enjoy the prelude and the setting up of two very different lives.**_

 _ **as always any PM's comments and reviews are greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **Enjoy**_

* * *

 _ **Last time...**_

 _ **A dark yet powerful force awaited the return of the lost Offspring of Lightening and Death itself!**_

 _ **Stoick received an unexpected guest in his home after telling the village of Hiccup's betrayal and his own plans.**_

 _ **Toothless and Hiccup were unexpectedly attacked and separated as they approached the Isle of Night with Toothless meeting his long lost siblings only for him to rush off as he heard Hiccup was in danger.**_

 _ **Who are these new unexpected characters and what do they want?**_

 _ **Read on and find out?**_

* * *

 _ **The Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 15**_

 _ **You are (not) welcome! PT2 **_

_**(The Chief's house)**_

" **You're going to marry me Stoick."**

"Arg!...(cough)...Ugghh!...…(splutter)…..I…beg your pardon?" Stoick nearly choked on the tankard of Meade he had been presented with upon finishing his meal. The companionable silence between him and Phlegma had suddenly become very tense when the maiden-warrior had sat down across the table and launched her very matter-of-fact verbal salvo without any warning.

It took Stoick nearly all the willpower he had not to drown in his own ale.

"You heard what I said Haddock!" Phlegma intoned calmly.

"And just _why_ exactly would I do that?" Stoick retorted, incredulous at the buxom woman's audacity.

"Because you said you would take a new wife and I am the best fitted to fulfil that task" was the business like response the Chief received from the maiden-warrior.

"Again I must ask…why!?" Stoick was eyeing her very carefully now, a thousand plots and treasons racing through his mind, trying to figure out what Phlegma's game was.

"Because it's what Valka would have wanted" Phlegma intoned sincerely not breaking eye contact with Stoick for a moment.

The air that was once tense now became downright oppressive as Stoick's suspicious eyes mutated into a glare that would melt rock.

But Phlegma was not called _'The Fierce'_ for nothing!

Stoick's voice was rasping with barely contained rage as he growled out "How dare you speak about….."

"… **.VALKA?..."** Phlegma interrupted, maintaining her calm yet proud demeanour, " Valka and I were friends…battle sisters. We grew up together, played together and learned the ways of the world _together._ We shared our hopes…our dreams…and secrets that no-one on this island will ever know. Not even you Stoick!"

Stoick let loose the most imperceptible of gasps. He thought Valka had shared everything with _him_ , but to hear Phlegma speak of her in an intimate way that rivalled his own, shocked the chief to the point where he had to take another drink to avoid descending into a violently emotional outburst.

"You were not the _only one_ to mourn her after she was taken Stoick….We all mourned her _….I_ mourned her!"

Phlegma let her eyes drop to the table for a moment before looking back at Stoick, her gaze steely enough to match the challenging look the large man was giving her.

"I'm not here to replace Valka" she began sincerely, "but I won't let your love for a ghost haunt you, this house or your tribe any longer. Too much has been lost already."

Stoick wanted to protest this insanity. Here was a woman telling him – _him!_ Stoick the Vast 'oh hear his name and tremble!', of all people - how things were going to be as if she knew the state of his own household better than he did. He was seething now and was ready to throw the belligerent woman out but Phlegma kept speaking, her tone firm yet even.

"Make no mistake Stoick I'm not going to be some timid housewife!" the warrior-maiden affirmed, "I won't be afraid to wield the power being the chief's wife brings and I _expect_ to be able to wield it. I'm not some trophy or silent partner in this. When we have children, you will declare them as your heirs the moment they are born. You won't wait until they come of age or pass the initiation or dragon training. And there are other conditions I would have met!"

"Such as?" Stoick quirked an eye-brow as he assimilated what was a defacto marriage proposal, getting more intrigued by the second as to what extent the woman's demands might be.

"First off you will give up this ridiculous search for the nest!" Phlegma declared with the air of female authority Stoick had only seen in the Bog-Burglar Tribe, "You won't find it and we've lost enough lives over it already. If your Hiccup does come back on a Nightfury, we can't afford to lose you on a fruitless side mission. If we focus on strengthening our home then we can repel not only the dragon raids but the other tribes and even Hiccup!"

"That's a lot to ask!" Stoick declared his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at the prospect of this drastic change of tactics. By Odin, He was a Viking and when given the choice between attack and defence, he always chose attack.

' _Now a member of his tribe was basically ordering him to no longer do that?! Ludicrous!'_

Not phased, Phlegma pressed on "Regardless, it is what needs to happen. Berk will have to become an impenetrable island haven, against which his dragon will smash against like water on stone".

"You know I could marry whoever I want." Stoick said casually, before leaning in close to Phlegma, his eyes narrowed "And I could have you shipped off this island for speaking to me in such a way!"

Phlegma merely smirked and leaned in to match Stoick's closeness "Without breaking your heart open for the entire tribe to see? The great Stoick the Vast, explaining his feelings in front of every man woman and child of Berk? Because that's what you'll have to do to justify banishing some-one of my standing...Oh I think we both know that won't _ever_ happen!"

Stoick moved to stand only to have Phelgma grab him by the wrist and pull him back down. It seemed the maiden-warrior was far from finished.

"I've no doubt, once the word gets out, you'll have several chieftains offering their daughters as the basis for some lucrative alliance. It's only natural they would do so!" Phlegma spoke evenly before her lips twisted in disgust. "But you and I both know how perverse it would be for you marry a mere child only for the sake of making babies! It would be like you taking that Hofferson girl to bed with you! Neither I nor the village would be able to say anything but I can tell no-one would approve, even if you are the chief!"

"I didn't say that would happen!" Stoick protested.

"But it does happen!" Phlegma interrupted her voice rising slightly, her disgust still evident, "maybe not here….. but there are other chieftains who don't have as much….. _restraint_ …as you do."

"Thank you" was Stoick's curt reply.

"Besides, I like to think I have more to offer than some inexperienced frightened child who would only stand by you out of some misguided sense of honour and a ridiculously overblown bride-price!"

Stoick nodded knowing he didn't have time to train a wife. He needed someone who _knew_ what she was doing and smirked as he realised Phlegma knew _exactly_ what she was doing and what she had to offer. As if reading his mind, he saw Phlegma roll her shoulders back and set her clenched fists on the table as she kept him fixed in her gaze.

"I'm a respected warrior; we've shed blood together against Dragons, Berserkers and Outcasts. I'm a member of your council; I know this village and its people inside and out. I have my own lands and goods; I can live within my own means so only a token bride price would be necessary. Like you, I knew about Hiccup's situation and yet I did nothing about it. Neither of us may have the looks we had when we were teenagers but we still have our health and our wits."

"Your flattery knows no bounds Phlegma!" Stoick drawled.

"And your sarcasm is equally boundless Stoick!" she retorted without missing a beat, "And there's one more thing I can give you!"

"And that is?"

' _Oh Stoick was very intrigued now!'_

"I will give you children."

Stoick's mouth opened slightly in surprise at the certainty with which Phlegma spoke.

"They will be healthy and strong, but most importantly they will be loved and protected by both of us. Valka not being here meant you were alone and too Yak-shit stubborn to ask for help in raising a new-born."

"Now wait a minute!" Stoick held up his hand in irritation. The only person who got to criticize his lacklustre parenting was Gobber, "I wasn't that bad of father! I had….."

"Yes Stoick! You _were_ that bad!" Phlegma interrupted, her harsh voice more accusing and cold than the steel blades that hung from every wall in the room, "you didn't try hard enough to understand your boy and that is a mistake that has landed all of us here! You are lucky you're not in a banishment ship on your way to Outcast Island right now!"

Stoick's fists clenched with self-loathing and outrage at Phlegma's condemning remark but he calmed as she placed her own strong calloused hands on top of his, warmth creeping back into her tone.

"With both of us raising our offspring together that will not happen. The Haddock line will continue and it will be strong….. …Besides we owe each other a debt Stoick the Vast!"

Stoick's brow furrowed in confusion as Phlegma's features continued to soften and her vice hitched slightly

"I lost my husband on one of your suicidal raids for the nest Stoick! You promised me Aeshera would return and you broke that promise. Then you lost your wife to those damn beasts and Hiccup lost his mother. It's something no child, father or wife should have to go through."

Stoick had to fight back the urge to shed a tear as he remembered that fateful night when Valka was taken before his very eyes, her beautiful voice mournfully calling his name as she was swept off into the darkness.

"I'd say you are owed a wife and you owe me a husband!" Phlegma intoned seeing the haunted look her chief bore on his face, "so let's not lie to ourselves that we won't at least be good for each other. I'm not doing this out of blind loyalty or pity or even kindness!"

Phlegma gripped Stoick's hands even harder as she spoke, "I respect you and am willing to serve you as my chief and husband. It may not be a bond forged in the fires of passion and love like you and Valka, but it may be a bond crafted by respect and kinship."

Stoick couldn't say anything. The over-powering emotions running through him were stopping him from doing so. Speaking of Valka had awoken his memories of her with a vengeance and he couldn't help but feel shame that he was somehow committing an act of betrayal by even sharing a table with her childhood friend, let alone speaking of marriage with her.

 _But he had been alone for so long. He needed to be alone right now. He needed to think. He needed to drink…..a lot!_

He was pulled from his reverie as Phlegma's hands left his. She stood, strode purposefully to the front door and opened it, pausing to look at him. Stoick stared at the powerful maiden-warrior as she stood in the doorway, the fire dancing across her impressive figure from the front while the light of the moon danced behind her like a ghostly silver aura. She was looking at him with that familiar, determined look he had seen on the battlefield a hundred times over as she spoke.

"I'll have a marriage contract for you by the end of tomorrow and I'll expect an acceptance by marriage proposal in the Great Hall by the end of the month!"

To say Stoick was surprised was an understatement and the smirk Phlegma held at his agape jaw encouraged her to push ahead.

"You say you want to put Berk first well I'm giving you the chance. You either take it, resolve this issue now and avoid a lot of unnecessary complications or….."

"…..Or what?" Stoick asked dreading what other alternatives might await him.

"Or the entire tribe will stick their noses in and you'll never have a moment's peace to be the chief and father you said you would be!" Phlegma intoned ominously, "Things will only get more difficult if other tribes get involved and enough time has been lost already!"

Stoick just continued to stare at her as he realised she was speaking the truth. If he waited too long it could take years to negotiate a deal with other tribes that might offer brides for him to consider. He and his tribe needed a new heir now, while he still had the strength to lead. He didn't have years. Not anymore. For every day that was wasted was another day that Hiccup got further away from Berk and another day that his lost son had to plan his revenge. All Stoick could do was nod as he considered the endless complications of letting things drag out.

"There's more stew in the pot for your breakfast!" Phlegma announced pulling on her cloak with business like efficiency, "your room has been taken care of and seeing he forged it, Gobber knows what size wedding ring I wear. Goodnight Stoick!"

And before the chief could respond Phlegma 'The Fierce' stepped out into the street, closing the door behind her leaving Stoick to his thoughts

But the chief was on his feet in an instant, throwing the door open and staring at the woman in the street who looked back at him. At first Stoick didn't know what to say and Phlegma looked with anticipation at what words her chief might utter. She knew what she was doing was an incredibly desperate gamble. She knew that the moment she had slipped away from the Great Hall a few hours ago to enact her plan to help her chief and Berk. And that's what gave her strength to carry it out. She had done it for the sake of Berk and for the memory of her dear, beloved Valka. Phlegma would protect her home in the only way she knew how and if Stoick was about to banish her then Phlegma figured it had been worth the risk.

"Phlegma?" Stoick faltered before a smile broke across his lips and he uttered two simple sincere words.

"Thank-you."

Phlegma's chest swelled with relief and she returned the smile, "You are welcome….. _Chief!"_

And with a respectful bow Phlegma 'The Fierce' turned on her heel and walked away, her little gambit seemingly paying off.

Stoick watched her disappear into the night and leaned against the door frame trying process the encounter he just had. Phlegma had broadsided him in so many ways he wasn't sure what to make of her anymore.

After years of everyone being so afraid of even saying _her_ name, to hear Phlegma speak so causally and intimately about Valka as if her dying was no longer a big deal was…unnerving. Yet Phlegma had not disregarded Valka's importance to Stoick and was still sympathetic to his feelings about her loss. Her respect touched Stoick. Phlegma had been very clever in her stratagem and had acknowledged the many variables in this complex game, orchestrating this entire encounter as if it was a battle to be won or a treaty to be negotiated.

Stoick was not ashamed to admit she had pulled it off flawlessly!

Phlegma had been correct in one major point. She was indeed the best woman for the job. The ease with which things played out actually relaxed Stoick despite the monumental task ahead of all of them and the further difficult decisions he would have to make.

He thought briefly of Hiccup and resigned his 'son' to the realm of his mind were only enemies existed now. For the first time he hoped the boy who had betrayed Valka's memory was actually having a far worse time than he.

But apart from that, for the first time he actually felt at ease in his own home.

For the first time on this very, _very_ long day at the end of this very, _very_ , **very** long week, Stoick the Vast felt the faint stirrings of hope.

And for the first time in over 15 years he didn't feel the need to think of Valka and drown his sorrows in Meade.

* * *

 **(The Alpha's lair)**

"TOOTHLESS!...AH!...please STOP! leave me….HUH!...alone…I..don't…..OOF!...Where are you?!... _ **TOOTHLESS!"**_

Hiccup screamed his best friend's name forlornly in desperation.

Though his voice was free to struggle and protest, the rest of his body was fairing far less well. After being rammed out of his saddle a thousand feet up, then thrown about in the air like some plaything, the Viking runaway had been unceremoniously dumped on the hard rock floor of what seemed to be an arena.

The sunken pit was flat, wide, vaguely circular and devoid of any kind of meaningful plant life save some weeds and brush. It must have about ten times bigger than the Berkian kill ring with large caves and rocky crags nearby. A ledge a few feet high seemed to run around the edge of the space in which Hiccup was now being harassed by three very angry, very scary Nightfuries.

The initial shock and fascination of seeing more Nightfuries had been quickly replaced by fear and horror as Hiccup had come to realise these dragons, unlike Toothless, cared little for his life and would surely delight in his demise.

" **HUMAN FILTH!"** screamed a blue-eyed Nightfury bearing tattered looking wings and a long scar running down the left side of its face. The beast was snapping his jaws all around as Hiccup scrambled desperately on all fours over the rough stone to get away.

" **FLIGHTLESS SCUM!"** hissed another aggressor with piercing violet eyes as he shoved and butted the young Viking around with his pointed head and paws not caring how hard he pushed.

" **DEFILER!"** growled a third black dragon that made the very earth vibrate as he repeatedly slammed his claws into the ground perilously close to Hiccup. The boy rolled frantically in different directions to avoid being crushed, knowing from his own and Astrid's experiences, what would happen if he was caught underneath the weight of just one slamming motion.

The combined ferocity of this gang's threats and actions were quickly taking their toll on Hiccup who was on the verge of panic. This was no run-in with the Berkian teens, vicious and unforgiving as they were. At least they had the human decency to stop before anyone died.

' _But these dragons?'_ Hiccup realised, _'were just brutally toying with him before they would literally rip him to shreds!'_

With a sudden burst if adrenaline Hiccup sprang to his feet and ran as fast his spindly legs would carry him, leaving the three jostling Nightfuries to wonder where he had gone, lost as they were now in a writhing mass of limbs, claws and wings.

As he approached the edge of the flat stone with heaving lungs and watery eyes, Hiccup dared to think he might reach safety. His hopes were dashed, as out of the shadows burst literally thousands of teeth belonging to dozens of more Nightfuries. Hiccup staggered back as more and more of the black dragons appeared barking, growling and hissing at him. Turning around Hiccup realised the entire periphery of this arena was now swarming with possibly hundreds of Nightfuries!

Though most of the noise was deafening snarls and grunts, Hiccup could discern several Dragoneese words from the violent reptilian mob.

 **"YOUR TORMENT SHALL BE SLOW HUMAN!"**

 **"PURGE THE UNLCEAN, FATHER SPIRIT!"**

 **"I HAVENT TASTED MAN IN SO LONG HA HA HA!"**

 **"BURN HIM!"**

 **"NOW BEHOLD THE WRATH OF NIGHTFURIES CONTAMINATOR!"**

The slit eyes and snarling faces directed at him terrified Hiccup for he realised that not only where these Nightfuries powerful creatures, they were also aware enough of the terrible things they wanted to do to him. The shouts and barks all seemed to meld into one cacophony of white noise and Hiccup zoned out, seemingly only aware of the three Nightfuries that were now stalking towards him, spreading out so they could encircle him once more.

" **Oh dear Blacklight! Looks like the little human doesn't want to play with us!"** the scarred blue-eyed Nightfury chuckled as he came up on Hiccup's left.

" **Indeed Scythe!"** the violet-eyed dragon responded in a mock-hurt tone, padding towards Hiccup's centre **, "and it looks like he's not even going to thank us for not dropping him in the ocean! Very rude, wouldn't you say Rumble?"**

" **Yes, unforgivably so!** " the dragon on the right hand side grumbled, the ground cracking as he continued to stomp closer **, "perhaps we should give this human trash an** _ **etiquette lesson!"**_

The air was torn with the shrieking sound of plasma being heated and an orb of light began to grow in intensity in each of three Nightfuries' mouths.

' _Oh my Gods! They're going to….vaporize me!'_

Hiccup slammed his eyes shut and prepared for death at the hands of this league of shadow dragons.

He had remembered old warriors say that when you were about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes and Hiccup figured that it would now be his turn to review his short existence, filled with pain, rejection and despair. However that did not happen in this case. With death about to claim the wayward Viking, the only thought that ran through his mind was one that brought him immeasurable comfort and warmth.

' _At least I got you home bud'_ was Hiccup's only thought before the plasma was released and exploded, throwing Hiccup into oblivion.

 _ **Funny thing about oblivion...**_

 _ **...Hiccup never figured it would be so soft and warm and pulsing heavily with life!**_

Opening his eyes Hiccup realised he was being hugged closely to a Nightfurys chest as well as being wrapped in a pair of huge black wings. Looking up he saw the head of his beloved dragon companion who stared slit-eyed at his assailants. Smoke poured from the edges of Toothless' mouth indicating that he must have shot a plasma blast as well.

Where his dragon had come from Hiccup didn't know or even care, for in that moment he knew he was safe once more **.**

" **Are you alright Hiccup?"** Toothless asked not taking his eyes off the three other Nightfuries that were stumbling about in a daze.

Apparently, not only had Toothless' plasma blast swept forth a huge shockwave that thrust the other Nightfuries back and scorched the earth, but it had also pre-maturely ignited the plasma building in their mouths, burning their jaws and making them writhe in pain.

"I am now Bud! Thanks!" Hiccup whimpered in his dragons embrace. This was not greeting he had been expecting and the boy was starting to wish he had not come here at all.

Blacklight, Scythe and Rumble regained their senses, and reassembled to square off against the pair. Toothless' acidic green eyes met a pair of burning violet eyes and two pairs of startled blue eyes in a tense stare down Toothless refused to lose.

" **Hold on tightly boy"** Toothless whispered as he lowered himself to all fours and fanned out his wings. Hiccup was now hanging from Toothless' underside between the dragon and the ground. It wasn't the easiest or most dignified position to be in, but Hiccup held on to the straps of the saddle like his life depended on it. _Because it did_. He was able to feel the expansion of Toothless' lungs as he inhaled letting forth a massive roar that silenced all the snarls of shock and confusion that had erupted at Toothless' arrival and inexplicable protection of the human boy. Heat erupted again around Hiccup and he gripped tightly as Toothless spun on the spot surrounding them both in a very familiar circle of purple flames.

" **THE FIRST ONE TO TOUCH THIS HUMAN WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!"** Toothless declared in the eerie quiet **.**

Blacklight was the first to break the silence, edging forward slightly to draw the irate dragon's attention

" **Of…..of course…..Shadow….the first blood** _ **should**_ **go to** _ **you**_ **cousin!"** he ventured tentatively, subservience spreading over his face, **"Now that you are free of your bonds of slavery, you can dispose of this human parasite, let us see how the son of the Alpha shows his prey that it is not welcome here!"**

" **This child is no parasite!"** Toothless spat back **, "He is under my protection! No-one will harm him, no-one will touch him, no-one will even speak to him without my approval and no-one on this island has the power to alter that!"**

Blacklight was about to reply, hoping an answer would relive the confusion on his face, but another voice beat him to it.

" _ **DID YOU SAY NO-ONE?!...DOES THAT INCLUDE ME?!...MY NIGHT-CHILD?!"**_

A deep **,** _ **deep**_ rumbling voice echoed about the arena sending Blacklight and his two accomplices dashing for the safety of the crowd, leaving Hiccup and Toothless alone with only a guess as to where the voice was coming from. The voice was quickly followed by a fierce, chilling gust of wind that effortlessly extinguished the defensive ring of fire Toothless had erected. The sudden drop in temperature and the disappearance of their light source was ominous to say the least, for Hiccup figured nothing could douse Toothless' flames.

Hiccup figured it was ok for _him_ to be scared. But as his position not only let him feel his dragon's breathing, Hiccup felt very perturbed at what he could swear was a shiver of dread ripple through his ebony companion.

 _'Who could be so terrifying that he made Toothless shake?_ '

Then he realised as the wing-beats of one huge, solitary dragon filled the air.

 _'What was scarier than a Nightfury?_ ' Hiccup had dared to ask himself.

 _'Why then, a king of Nightfuries!'_ he concluded, judging from the bowing motion he could see some of the other dragons were giving.

"T-t-t-toothless?" Hiccup stuttered in fear, "Is…is that who I think it is?

" **Yes Hiccup,"** his dragon responded gravely **, "It is the King of the Night…."**

A loud crack was heard as the vast shadow landed heavily on the ground

"… **.The alpha of the Nightfuries….."**

Sparks flew as huge black talons deliberately scraped over the stone giving off ear rending screeches, as the beast advanced steadily towards them.

"… **.The Lord of the Unholy Off-springs of Lightening and Death itself…"**

Massive green eyes filled with power and intimidation stared down at the two lonely travellers.

"… **..My Alpha….."**

Loud snarling breaths wisped about them as sword sized teeth were bared. The creature was now standing right in front of them, towering over them and Toothless had to crane his neck back to look him in the eye, which also allowed Hiccup to see him as well.

"… **Lord Deathwing…."**

Toothless' eyes when wide as saucers as he felt a familiar resonance between his own heartbeat and that of the huge dragon before him.

"… **..My father…."**

The mighty Nightfury smirked at Toothless and with a tone Hiccup couldn't even begin understand, so loaded as it was with so many warring emotions, simply uttered.

" **MY SON….WELCOME HOME!"**

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **Stoick's plans for the future have now taken a possibly positive turn while Hiccup seems to be going downhill fast!**

 **I was originally going to cliff-hanger this chapter at Hiccup meeting oblivion, but I figured it wouldn't be as fun, seeing we all kinda know Hiccup won't die for a good while yet! or will he? ha!**

 **Many thanks to all the reviewers who have been following this tale so far. it's really great to hear from you all.**

 **A big thanks must go to Gordon519 who suggested the dragon that has become Scythe. we will find out more about him later in the story perhaps and we will also meet another creation of Gordon519's who will have a nicely important job to do as well.**

 **If anyone else wants to throw ideas in via P.M. I'll certainly consider them. Can't guarantee anything but I'll try my best!**

 **Any questions or queries will answered to the best of my ability whilst trying to avoid spoiler territory! LOLZ! and any reviews are really appreciated as they are what drive me forward.**

 **Next chapter will focus on Hiccup and Toothless facing off against Deathwing, the other Nightfuries and we will meet the last few members of Toothless' family. Again in honour of one of my favourite HTTYD fanfics it will be entitled...**

 **...Hail to the king!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	17. Hail to the King!

**Greetings all**

 **Well here we have it!**

 **The first (of hopefully many) confrontations between Toothless and his father, the Alpha of the Nightfuries. This marks the prologue of the next arc which will be called 'The School of Dragons' which will last a good many chapters (though each chapter will still get an individual name) and it will primarily focus on Hiccup for the most part. We may drop back to Berk or check in with the pirates once or twice but the focus will be primarily on everyone's favourite scrawny dragon master.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter as it is named after one of my favourite HTTYD fanfics right now, it is epically long, and hopefully worthy of the great 'Code Musica'. I can only wish. It also is the unofficial 3rd part of the 'You are (not) welcome!' arc. Hold on to your hats guys cause there's gonna be a whole load of new characters, new revelations, new interactions and they all start here!**

 **As always any PM's comments and reviews are highly appreciated and I love chatting to each and every one of you about anything!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 16**_

 _ **Hail to the King!**_

* * *

 _ **Last time**_

 _ **Stoick was given a highly tempting offer from Phlegma the fierce**_

 _ **And Toothless rescued Hiccup from a group of Nightfuries that were going to kill him only to be confronted by**_

 _ **Toothless' father,**_

 _ **The Nightfuries' Alpha!**_

 _ **Deathwing!**_

* * *

 **( _The Isle of Night, after sunset_ )**

 _" **MY SON…..WELCOME HOME!"**_

That deep voice, which Toothless had not heard in over two decades, rippled through the young Nightfury, stirring emotions and memories long since suppressed by the Red Death's siren song. The sheer power and strength of will the Nightfury Alpha possessed was practically tangible, even through the simple act of speaking.

" **I have returned father!"** Toothless tried to state as confidently as he could, knowing just how fast the situation could escalate with Hiccup still clinging to his underside.

" **I see that!"** Deathwing retorted, his tone thick with condescension before his eyes narrowed in suspicion, **"and I see you have brought** _ **something**_ **with you. Something you wish to greedily keep all to yourself."**

" **I wish only to protect my friend"** Toothless spoke pleadingly, **"he means us no harm!"**

" **No harm? I will be the judge of that my young night-child"** Deathwing crooned, **"let me see it."**

" **Father please!"** Toothless begged, the shivers running through him getting stronger out of fear for his human's safety.

" _ **Let…..Me… SEE…..IT!"**_ Deathwing rumbled, a powerful resonance emitting from his core.

This was not just a request from father to son; this was an order from an Alpha to one of his subjects. Toothless' ear-plates shivered as the command overrode his senses and burst into his mind with an overwhelming authority. Deathwing's eyes were narrowed and glowed with a baleful fury just like the Red Death had done while it commanded him, for so many years. And just like the Red Death, no matter how hard Toothless wanted to fight it, he knew he had no choice in the matter. It was not how he wanted their first meeting to go, but the sooner he got it over with, Toothless figured, the sooner he could start rebuilding his and Hiccup's lives.

Reluctantly Toothless eased the cowering Hiccup out from underneath him and to his feet. Like Toothless, Hiccup was trembling at the strange force that was also tugging in the back of his own mind. The boy couldn't even bring himself to look Deathwing in the eye for long, resulting in Hiccup just snatching a few glances from moment to moment.

Truly the Alpha Nightfury was an impressively large beast now that Hiccup could take him in better. Deathwing must have been three four times the size of a monstrous nightmare. The Nightfury King's scales were flawlessly black, even when they bunched together and rose up into spiked ridges that ran down the length of his neck, back and tail. His wings even though folded in were vast and displayed not a single blemish or mark. The claws that had sent sparks over the ground before were as big as the largest axe-heads Hiccup had made in the forge and his eyes were a never ending tone of green that seemed to constantly change shade.

 _This dragon looked absolutely perfect!_

The only thing that tried to mar Deathwing's flawless image was the scar that ran from the middle of his neck and disappeared between his front legs. Hiccup didn't see how far the scar ran but he did notice that even _it_ was perfect, straight as an iron rod and in the dead centre of the beast's body.

' _Truly the work of a master dragon hunter who had obviously fought hard'_ Hiccup thought as the line looked too fine to made another dragon.

' _But not hard enough'_ , seeing the Alpha was still standing.

Deathwing's entire presence seemed to steal the light from around him, surrounding him in an aura of shadow to hide his form and function. The sun had now sunk over the horizon which amplified the dread and fear radiating off the powerful creature. However it all seemed to be tempered by a sense of majesty in the way the huge dragon held itself. This Nightfury was truly a king of dragons.

' _But was he a king that served his subjects or dominated them?'_ Hiccup was undecided, seeing the way he had been forced into the open.

Toothless, desperate to reassure his friend brought his tail around him and eased his side against Hiccup's back. He could feel the boy calm by his touch but only slightly as Deathwing brought his head – larger than the boy himself – closer, his eyes penetrating Hiccup's form, his nostrils twitching as Deathwing sniffed cautiously at him.

" **A very** _ **small**_ **specimen it is!"** Deathwing snorted with cold disdain.

" **Yet full of potential father…."** Toothless ventured hopefully to explain, **"…..he…."**

" **That has yet to be seen!"** Deathwing interrupted quickly silencing Toothless who cringed at being over-ruled again **"Let us** _ **all**_ **have a look at it! Come forward my children!"**

With a gruff bark Nightbreaker, Twilight and Shade appeared beside Deathwing. They had arrived just in time to see Toothless fend off the three Nightfuries that had been attacking Hiccup and each bore similar expressions of shock and bewilderment. Toothless greeted each with a nod and small smile but his head darted around as if looking for someone else.

Hiccup noticed his friend's agitation and was going to ask what was wrong but was interrupted by the sound of heavy padding feet.

The sound grew only slightly louder as a new shadowy shape stepped out of Deathwing's cave. It came alongside the Alpha dragon and with eyes as wondrous and silvery as moonlight, looked down at Toothless with a cool detachment. Toothless' own eyes widened, his body tensed as he took in the form of the dragon that was slightly smaller than Deathwing, yet carried itself with the same regal grace that indicated its high status. It was clear even to Hiccup who this dragon was, given the way it nuzzled its slender, lithe form along Deathwing's side, earning a deep purr from the Alpha, yet never once breaking eye contact with Toothless or Hiccup.

" **My Lady Silverwing"** The Alpha cooed warmly, **"welcome to our little reunion."**

" **Indeed my lord!"** Silverwing replied with a voice that was soft as silk yet possessing a great strength, **"So my son has finally returned?"**

" **In..In –d-d-deed I have….m-m-m-m-** _ **Mother**_ **!"** was the only response Toothless could wring out as he fought to control his raging heartbeat and twitching tail.

Hiccup was stunned. No wonder Toothless was stuttering. The Nightfury hadn't seen his mother in over twenty years and now here she was.

Here was Toothless' whole family!

A sideways glance at his ebony companion informed Hiccup that Toothless was incredibly torn. On the one hand Hiccup knew Toothless wanted to embrace his family and he had every right to do so, yet the Dragon had to protect _him_ from any potential threat, which was at this moment, that very same family.

Neither of them seemed to know what to do in the silence that began to grow.

" **WHO IS THIS THEN DADDY?!"** came a high pitched female voice that snapped both Hiccup's and Toothless' attention to Deathwing.

On the Dragon king's left shoulder appeared a small Nightfury. It seemed to share the slender shape of Silverwing and the total black scales of Deathwing, which was only enhanced by her huge piercing, electric blue eyes. Both boy and dragon cocked their heads in confusion as the newcomer jumped down and stalked towards them.

" **Your brother has returned to us Midnight!"** Deathwing crooned.

The curious look on the small Nightfury, which was only slightly larger than Hiccup himself, instantly became dark and menacing, her eyes narrowing, claws extending.

" **So the** _ **traitor**_ **has come back?! Finally returned after** _ **abandoning**_ **his kind! What happened Shadow? Was the rest of the world so boring and small, that only now you come crawling back like some** _ **eel**_ **on his belly?!"** Midnight hissed with a palpable disgust as she stood in front of them, staring at Hiccup, **"and he dares to bring** _ **a human**_ **amongst us? Let me kill the human for you daddy! His taint will not be amongst us for long!"**

By now Midnight had reared up and was looking into Hiccup's face and licked her lips with glee **, "I'll enjoy making you scream, human filth!"**

" **GNASHSHAP!"**

With almost supernatural speed Midnight ducked back as Toothless lunged his head forward, snapping his jaws loudly in the air she, only a second ago, occupied.

" **Touch him and I will kill you, young one!"** Toothless growled in anger.

" **Oooooooooh looks like** _ **big**_ **brother wants to keep his** _ **little**_ **plaything alive for a bit longer!"** Midnight sing-songed fearlessly, strutting back and forth, her tiny size seemingly irrelevant to the huge amount of confidence she exuded as she looked down her nose at Toothless.

" **Don't worry Shadow, I wouldn't sully my claws or my teeth with your** _ **pet**_ **! Neither of you are worth it. Besides the human** _ **smells**_ **…..badly!….he's a** _ **'HEESO'**_ **! Ha ha ha!"**

A small ripple of draconic laughter echoed through the arena at the little Nightfury's word. This only served to increase Hiccup's confusion but also Toothless' rage. The dragon had been shaking with fear and nerves, but now he was trembling with anger. Before he knew it, he was moving forward growling, his eyes narrowed slits.

" _ **You will die for that insult you…."**_

" **She will NOT!"** Deathwing announced imperiously **, "She is of the alpha's line! She is your sister, born just after you….** _ **left us….**_ **and she is proving a very promising Alpha in the making!"**

" **Why yes daddy I am!"** Midnight parroted haughtily, **"I am of the Alpha's line and I'll be a better Alpha than Shadow and his** _ **'heeso'**_ **human!"** she continued to chirp as she clambered up Deathwing's left leg and stood proudly on his shoulder chest puffed out and wings slightly extended to enhance her small size as more Nightfuries chuckled in the audience.

Toothless wanted nothing more to rip this little dragon bitch to shreds now and his claws dug into the ground as he slowly walked forward. He would have moved quicker had not Hiccup been wildly pulling at his saddle straps with all the strength he had.

"Woah woah bud!...ugh…It's ok!...sweet Thor your strong….huuuh!" Hiccup urged through his exertions, " no ….need to….ah….get angry. Calm down….please!"

But it seemed to be no use, so Hiccup abandoned pulling and stepped in front of his best friend pressing both hands on to his snout, pushing as hard as his frail frame could muster and looking him dead in his raging acidic green eyes.

"It's _fine_ bud, really it is! **"** The boy whispered sincerely,"She doesn't know us yet Okay? We're fine….calm down….yes!... that's it….. It's ok bud…..it's okay."

The giggling that been passing through the crowd of dragons vanished as they saw Hiccup calm the enraged Nightfury down. Many had not seen a human in some time, let alone one who could calm the son of the Alpha as Hiccup continued to stroke his Nightfury's muzzle and rest their foreheads together. Toothless' raged breathing evened out and his eyes widened back to their normal rounded shape.

"That's it Toothless, that's it…"

" **Toothless?"** Deathwing muttered **"Why does he call you** _ **Toothless**_ **, Shadow?...Why does he** _ **dare**_ **give you, the son of an Alpha such an unworthy title to?...oh wait now I see what is going on!"**

Deathwing's eyes widened and he raised his head up startled at his revelation.

" **My son! He has** _ **bewitched**_ **you!"** Deathwing exclaimed in sorrow and rage **, "he has given you a** _ **slave**_ **name to drive out your true heritage and divide your loyalty! This outrage will not stand! Once we feast on this human, we shall break the hold he has over you my son. His blood shall decorate our cave, he cries for mercy will break the heavens. Only then will my young Shadow be whole again!"**

" **I going to enjoy this daddy"** Midnight smirked, licking her lips, **"let me see you gut him!"**

The dragons in the arena began to bark and cheer at their king's choice **, "Let him be eaten sire!...cast him off!...free the heir!...Let there be blood!"**

Hearing this was too much for Hiccup and he spun around in front of Toothless, his eyes darting in every direction towards each new voice that broke the air. His heart was pounding and sweat was pouring down his face. A face wracked by conflicting emotions: panic, desperation, bewilderment, curiosity, fear and anger to name but a few. Truly he was in a nest of vipers that were going to kill him at any moment. A nest he had foolishly yet willingly walked into.

" **Father!"** A softer female voice cut through the hubbub of dragon jeering. Hiccup darted his eyes to Silverwing thinking it was her, but then he realised it was actually Twilight who had spoken up. The female's silver eyes were practically sparkling as she stared at him with a renewed, penetrating intensity which lacked the aggression of the others. If Hiccup had to guess, she looked like he did, when he had discovered a new plant or bird back on Berk.

" **Yes Twilight? What have you to say, my daughter**?" Deathwing intoned looking to his female progeny.

" **The human."** Twilight's gaze intensified, trapping the boy in her stare.

" **What about him?"** Deathwing urged, his curiosity piqued.

" **He…he can understand us!"** Twilight gasped out, earning the most imperceptible of nods from Hiccup **, "He knows what we are saying!"**

" **What? How do you know this?"** Deathwing ordered, his ire rising again.

" **I've been watching his reactions to us since I first saw him."** Twilight responded evenly, **"There is no doubt. The child understands Dragoneese!"**

The heckling faded quickly after Twilight's announcement. Yet it did not truly die, for now the crowd only whispered to each other in the light of this new development.

" **And how is it that a human knows our language?"** Deathwing returned his gaze to Hiccup and Toothless.

" **Magic my mate!"** Silverwing chimed in, her silvery gaze also locked on them, **"he has the faint traces of purple flames about him. The boy has been given the knowledge to understand us by a fire circle spell! A powerful one at that. One used by our son!"**

" **This is true?"** Deathwing looked knowingly at Toothless.

" **It is father!"** the young Nightfury retorted, pushing aside all the feelings of shame his father's look tried to impress on him.

" **Be careful what you say around him. This human is** _ **not**_ **to be trusted"** the Alpha hissed at his queen and children.

" **Yes my alpha!"** they all responded as one, much to Toothless' chagrin. Deathwing's expression became darkly curious as he eyed Hiccup again.

" **Sooooooo….you speak the language of the dragons!"** he crooned **, "Do you boy?"**

Hiccup nodded.

" **Answer me properly human!"** The alpha grunted in offense, **"When I speak to you, I suggest you have the courtesy to reply."**

"Y-y-y-yes…I can…..understand you…mostly...It's…..it's.. an honour…to….finally…meet you…..King Deathwing." Hiccup managed to stutter as he gave the most formal deep bow he could before the mighty dragon.

The smirk across the Alpha's lips became wider until the great beast began to quiver and shake. A deep chuckle exploded into a loud roaring laugh as Deathwing threw back his head to vent his wild amusement.

" **Ha hah ha ha! The little one may be foolish scum!"** the dragon railed through his laughs, earning a ripple of laughter from the other dragons, **"but at least he knows his manners! ha ha ha ha!"**

Hiccup scowled at his gesture being mocked. He really did want to be respectful of Toothless' father; he really did want to win his favour. But if the dragon wasn't even going to give him a chance, then why should he even bother? Turning to Toothless Hiccup muttered quietly.

"Wish I could say your dad knows his manners bud!"

His friend's eyes widening in fear should have been hint enough that he shouldn't have said that, but it was the sudden silence that hit Hiccup harder. No longer did Deathwing's laughter echo around the arena. In fact not a sound could be heard at all. "Oh right, dragon hearing, just great!" Hiccup face-palmed himself as Deathwing's pissed-off visage loomed closer to him.

" **And what do you mean by that boy!?"**

"Oh nothing!" Hiccup yelped, trying not to look the Alpha in the eye.

" **Oh no!"** Deathwing snapped derisively, **"if you wish to insult me hatchling human, you will say it my face!"**

Hiccup shrugged trying to get rid of his frustrations. But with nowhere to run and unable to vent privately to Toothless, like he had always done in the cove, Hiccup figured he may as well take the opportunity to vent to the one creature that mattered right now. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Hiccup spoke, the tension and frustration clear in his voice.

"Look, you are meant to be a king right?" Deathwing nodded slightly at his comment, so Hiccup went on, "Kings are meant to show respect to their subjects or those who visit them…..I have a name. At least have the courtesy to use it when you mock me. I wouldn't want you insulting anyone else. Being on the end of insults is my thing!"

" **Oh really?"** Deathwing drawled, his voice oozing with sarcasm and disdain **, "Well!...Why then don't you introduce yourself!?...Seeing thou art sooooooooo** _ **insistent!**_ **We may as well know** _ **who**_ **we are insulting!"**

" **Don't tell him my boy!"** Toothless urged, fear evident in his tone, **"it's not safe!"**

Hiccup frowned not knowing why Toothless wanted him to keep his name a secret and was going to ask why before Silverwing interrupted.

" **Child"…."** her maternal voice was soft and warm and slightly intoxicating as Hiccup took in her dancing silvery eyes, **"Tell us your name….please young one."**

Hiccup felt bolstered by her comforting gaze, so standing as tall and as proud as he could he took a deep breath and declared.

"IAM HICCUP!….Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third!"

" **HADDOCK!?"** Deathwing yelled as he recoiled slightly in rage and disgust.

A deafening cacophony of snarls and hisses suddenly erupted throughout the arena as Toothless dipped his head, a painful grimace and closed eyes marring his face. As the dragon's eyes narrowed, Hiccup could feel a literal chill run up his spine, so palpable was the Nightfuries' reaction. Deathwing thumped his powerful front legs down to bring the crowd to order once more, recomposing himself into his position of awe and majesty yet wearing a contemptible scowl as he glared at Hiccup anew.

" **Do you mean to tell me, you are a son of the** _ **Haddock**_ **line? Of the human Isle they call** _ **Berk?**_ **"**

"Yes!" Hiccup replied still fighting hard to maintain his strong posture.

" **DAMANTION!...HERESEY!….INFAMY!….BETRAYAL!"** several voices hissed from the crowd.

"What? What's wrong with that?" Hiccup demanded as Toothless continued to look away.

" **The name of…..HADDOCK….is not unknown to us!"** Deathwing intoned coldly.

"Really?" Hiccup chirped, "You mean one of your Nightfuries is called Haddock? Cause that would be spooky ha ha!"

 **Silence hung in the air.**

"cause…..you know…..we'd have the same name! ha ha?"

 **The silence got worse with only a mild groan from Toothless being audible.**

"ah…oh..uh…tough nest! Not really big on sarcasm on the old isle of night are you?"

Hiccup's attempt at humour was met with stone cold silence and glares of contempt which only added to the body crushing awkwardness that now hung around Him. Thankfully, though Hiccup would never admit it, Deathwing broke the silence with his majestic yet affronted demeanour.

" **You think this matter is…** _ **amusing**_ **…boy?"**

"Actually!" Hiccup snapped back, getting real tired of being treated like he was an idiot, "I think it's a matter I don't know anything about!" Deathwing was slightly stunned by Hiccup's aggressive tone, but the boy kept going, pretty much knowing what was coming next. He saw a lot of his father's traits in the Alpha, "But I know a lecture coming when I hear one…..so by all means…pleeeeeaaaaase….lecture away oh _great and wise_ King!"

" **Hiccup!"** Toothless nudged his side **"you do know we're trying to get my father to** _ **like**_ **you?!"**

Hiccup didn't even acknowledge his friend but kept staring at Deathwing, refusing to be intimidated any longer by the vast beast as he drawled, "Somehow I think the _'liking-me-longboat'_ sailed the moment I arrived bud!"

Deathwing smirked as he began to speak condescendingly, **"Only because I find your** _ **disrespect**_ **and your** _ **ignorance**_ **mildly amusing, will I share your** _ **own**_ **history with you Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third!"**

The Alpha dragon began pacing in a wide circle around Hiccup and Toothless, his eyes never leaving them. Both boy and dragon turned on the spot warily, following his movements, unwilling to have their backs to him as he dispensed his knowledge with an almost wicked glee.

" **Of course we both know your father, the human called Stoick the Vast, is one of the most notorious dragon murderers in the entire archipelago!"**

"I'd kinda got that impression, seeing I lived with him for the past 15 years!" Hiccup retorted before his voice hitched slightly, "but I think he's only like that because…..my mother was killed by dragons…..He fights to avenge her death. How do you know about him?"

Deathwing paused for a moment, cocking his head a little before continuing, Hiccup's previous comment seemed to affect the great king somehow. But the moment was just that and passed as the Nightfury Alpha crooned enigmatically **"We have our ways boy, ways that are not yours to know."**

"Well that's convenient" Hiccup snarked to Toothless who shared his annoyance at his father's deliberate vagueness. Toothless would have been far more open with his friend before they arrived but he had to let Hiccup learn on his own. He knew Hiccup could not lie very well and this interrogation would show his friend was telling the truth in anything he was asked.

" **Seven generations of 'Haddocks' have waged war on our kind, and out of those seven generations, few have made as big an impact as the two previous Hiccups that bare your namesake!"** Deathwing declared bringing their attention back to him.

" **You are not only the progeny of the most infamous dragon killer but you are descended from the most hated families to dragons.**

Deathwing keep his pacing even, even though his voice was tainted by a rage and bitterness that Hiccup found to be highly familiar.

 **The first Hiccup Haddock brought Vikings to the northern regions and drove out not only the Nightfuries but all the other dragons. He was hailed as the King of the Wilderwest and he lorded it over our kind, surrounding himself with 'things' as he entrenched his people in the heart of a once beautiful unspoiled land and plundered it!"**

This was not the version of history Hiccup had been told as a small boy. Yes Hiccup the First was indeed the intrepid pioneer who led the Vikings to Berk and was remembered as an amazing chieftain. But the bards said he had always fought in defence against the dragon aggressors.

" **There was a brief time that we dared to believe that working with humans might have been possible, After decades of skirmishes, Hiccup the First brokered a truce with our kind and an uneasy peace was born.**

Hiccup was most definitely not told that! His ancestor's war on the dragons was said to have been fought because Hiccup, the First King of the Wilderwest had sadly succumbed to madness and death at the hands of the dragons.

" **But this false hope was broken and defiled by** _ **ghastly**_ **men that ended his life and cast aside all attempts to consider peace."**

"But he at least tried! That has got to count for something! Couldn't the dragons have done something?" Hiccup tried to counter, his head now starting to spin as his own history was being re-written.

" **Don't interrupt child!"** Deathwing growled, beginning a fresh circle around the two only slightly closer this time, **"It's bad enough you know so little about your own kind, do not assume you know our kind! Even being born and raised by dragons didn't stop Hiccup** _ **the Second**_ **from making things worse!"**

"I'm sorry what?" Hiccup's eyes widened in bewilderment, "He was raised by…? But how?"

" **The exact details would take too long to explain to your feeble mind"** Deathwing patronized **, "but in short Hiccup the Second lived with dragons from birth, I actually had the dubious honour of meeting him once.**

"Wait! You met one of my ancestors? You've been to Berk?" Hiccup asked astonished.

' _Just how old was this king of dragons that knew the history of Berk better than the Berkians themselves?'_

" **Indeed I have"** Deathwing intoned, sorrow creeping into his voice and face, **"Hiccup the Second showed great promise… Oh he tried to restore the peace, really he did! He had the best of both worlds and it was hoped both men and dragons would follow him!"**

Much of what was known about Hiccup the Second was built namely on legends and hearsay, as writing books had been banned for several decades. Hiccup had asked repeatedly to hear about his forbearers but when it came to Hiccup the Second, Stoick, who was well educated for a Viking, would either tell him very little or nothing at all.

' _Had Stoick known about Hiccup the Second's affinity for dragons and not told him?'_ Hiccup thought, _'Was that why he had been so hated and mistrusted by his entire tribe?'_

Hiccup was pulled from his reverie as Deathwing began to rant again, digging his talons into the hard rock as he strode purposefully around them, **"Yet still when he came to prominence, he was betrayed and the conflict finally escalated to all-out war! The losses to our kind were catastrophic and I had to make the difficult choice to lead our kind to a new home! And all because of a Haddock!"**

"I didn't know any of this!" Hiccup was starting to lose his own self-control. Tears were running down his face. As he wiped them away he could have sworn he saw rivers of dragon blood running through his hands, the sins of his forefathers spilling onto him that he might repeat their mistakes."I was told Hiccup the Second was cursed by the dragons" he said meekly, "they began raiding Berk in order to finish us off! There must be more to it than that. I thought I was…"

" **You thought you were the only one to bond with a dragon?!"** Midnight scoffed derisively from Deathwing's back, watching this entire encounter with a pleasure that bordered on the perverse, **"Oh you poor deluded human!"**

" **That's enough father, stop it!"** Toothless barked, desperate protect his weeping friend **.**

" **No! He needs to hear this!"** Deathwing retorted, **"You think you are different Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third?! You think you can do better than a King of the Wilderwest and a man raised by dragons. Your scent on my young Shadow is not very strong, so you have only been with him for a few months at best and you think you can succeed where your forbearers failed? You think you can bring a lasting peace between man and dragon?!"**

"Please stop!" Hiccup cried out, his hands balling into tight fists, "I can't take it anymore! Just stop talking!"

But Deathwing wouldn't stop. If he couldn't push the boy to his limits physically, he would do so emotionally. He was now very close to Hiccup again as he hissed **"You've known all along that your name and line is** _ **cursed!**_ **Do not play innocent with me! No matter what you do or who you help, it will always be tainted by deceit and betrayal! Those closest to you will always abandon or eventually destroy you and nothing will ever change that fate!"**

"No!" Hiccup begged as he latched his arms around Toothless' neck, burying his head into his best friends shoulder "it can't be like that, I can't let you get hurt bud!"

" **It's alright Hiccup,"** Toothless urged, pushing his shoulder closer to Hiccup while casting a withering look at his father and sister, **"it will be over soon I promise, nothing is going to happen to you while I am here! The past is the past and the future has not been set."**

Midnight let out a scornful laugh at Toothless' words, drawing Hiccup's gaze as well to her perch on Deathwing's shoulder, **"Such foolish sentiment! You may have bewitched my brother with your lies 'Hiccup the Third'.** **But we have been betrayed by men too many times before! We know from bitter experience there is no end to the baseness of your kind!"**

Hiccup turned fully and jumped toward the two Nightfuries that had been interrogating him relentlessly. It didn't matter how big or small or vicious they were, he had to make his case, for Toothless' sake if nothing else "But I didn't want this!" the boy yelled, "I didn't ask to be a Hiccup! I wanted to try…..I wanted to show them that dragons aren't the evil creatures we were taught!"

" **And what makes you think you are different, Viking?"** Deathwing replied eyes narrowed in contempt, **"Why would you seek to end the conflict as your ancestors did?"**

"Because I don't!" Hiccup screamed, his tears hot on his cheeks, his body now trembling wildly before the startled Alpha.

" **What?"** was all Deathwing could ask.

Hiccup heaved heavily as his ragged voice echoed around the arena to the attentive ears of the assembled dragons, "I know my people…won't change or accept dragons…..I _know_ that now!...I gave up trying to do what they wanted a long time ago. That's why I left. I just wanted to get away from there and it was Toothless who brought me here. I had no idea about this place or my ancestors history. You have to believe me!"

Deathwing didn't stop staring at Hiccup but tilted his head to the side as he asked **"Does he speak the truth Twilight?**

" **He does, father"** the silver-eyed Nightfury replied evenly.

" **Why are you asking her?"** Hiccup demanded.

" **My daughter has the unique ability to see the truth in others."** Deathwing retorted as he titled is head again, **"What truth is in this….Viking?"**

" **he is…..conflicted"** Twilight began, her voice like her mother's, warm and compassionate, **"the boy loves his land yet he bears the scars of betrayal. His tongue and his spirit have sworn oaths of vengeance on those who have wronged him!"**

Hiccup cringed as Deathwing snapped his head back and let some of his teeth glint in the rising moonlight while Midnight hissed and growled at him **"So you seek revenge you** _ **'Heeso'**_ **?"** the young Nightfury barked **, "How typically human! You would have us shield you and then use us to smite your foes? Already you display the Haddock family cunning!"**

" **My hatchling daughter makes a valid point human"** Deathwing intoned, **"I would let you stay amongst us only to invite disaster to our race? I do not think so!"**

" **Father!"** Toothless protested once again, his dragon heart breaking all over again at Hiccup's treatment.

" **I will break words with you soon enough** _ **Shadow!**_ **"** Deathwing commanded dismissively not even looking at him.

' _ **That….was….IT!'**_

Toothless had promised Hiccup a safe-haven and a new life.

But now his family was ruining that and all because his father carried a grudge that was now centuries old.

It was getting too much, this constant badgering in the name of keeping Deathwing's fellow dragons safe and somehow in all of this, _his_ opinion didn't matter. He was one who had been gone for over twenty years and yet his father seemed more concerned with destroying the person responsible for his salvation. Deathwing hadn't even asked where he had been, what he had done! It seemed the 'all-seeing' Alpha hadn't even noticed his tailfin had been replaced with a prosthetic. It was if he didn't really care at all. It drove the Nightfury mad! It made his blood and plasma glands boil and the dragon formerly known as _'Shadow'_ would not take it any longer!

Toothless opened his wings, reared up and roared once more, practically in his Alpha's face.

" **MY NAME IS NOT SHADOW! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD MY NAME IS TOOTHLESS!"**

Both Hiccup and Deathwing, not expecting this ferocious interruption, looked at the young irate dragon with simultaneous shocked expressions. Heat was building in Toothless as he breathed heavily, staring fiercely at his father, daring him to respond.

" **This has gone far enough"** Deathwing groaned, seemingly unimpressed with his son's display, **"Once more I have to clean up your mess! This outrage….this insanity will not stand!"**

"NO! your ignorance and prejudice will not stand!" Hiccup shouted, gaining confidence from his friend and standing by his side once more.

" **I beg your pardon** _ **human!**_ **"** Deathwing snorted in offense.

" **And my name is HICCUP!"** he shouted, **"Do not talk to your son that way. He has done nothing wrong. It was my fault that he…..that he brought me here. It's all** _ **my**_ **fault!"**

" **Come on daddy"** Midnight growled gleefully **"he shouldn't be allowed to speak anymore of his disrespectful lies! Let me have him to** _ **play**_ **with! I will make him scream!"**

" **The boy is dangerous brother!"** a new Nightfury called out from the side-lines. He was nowhere near as big as Deathwing but still stood a few heads higher than the other Nightfuries, covered head to toe in scars, **"I can sense it. It would be wise to stop this before it goes any further, protect dragon-kind first, that is the Alpha's duty!"**

" **That is enough! EVERYONE**!" Deathwing yelled, blowing a pillar of purple flames into the air, in sheer unrestrained fury to silence the multiple voices. Many cowered in fear at seeing the Alpha's rage. But not one determined, some might say stubborn, human.

Ignoring his friend's urging to stay put, Hiccup marched forward and stared forcefully into Deathwing's eyes.

The Alpha Nightfury stared straight back as smoke poured from his lips as if he was ready to devour the boy right there. But before the Alpha could do anything, Hiccup wordlessly dropped his head and fell to his knees. The impact though quiet was quite painful eliciting a wince from the boy. But Hiccup pushed past it, swearing that he would not let himself shed anymore tears for the amusement of the Alpha or the desperation of his predicament. He had to do something to bring this madness to an end. Breathing heavily Hiccup raised both his arms out to the side, palms to the sky to show his peaceful intent.

It was an act of supplication, an act of appeal, an act of…debasement, like a slave before his master, as his voice rang out firm and sincere.

"My lord Deathwing! Alpha of the Nightfuries, ruler of the Isle of Night and protector of all dragons!" he said to the astonishment of all present, "I Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third, a Viking of Berk do humbly request…..no…..on my knees, I _beg you_ for asylum amongst your kind!"

Even Deathwing seemed taken aback by the earnest tone Hiccup was using as his voice carried to all who could hear.

"Before your might I am nothing and I entreat your forgiveness for the sins of my ancestors and for wasting so much of your precious time already. I ask for no special treatment or favours, but I plead that I at least be given the chance to show that I mean you no harm and that I can be of some worth to you and your kin. I will do whatever it takes! I swear it on my life and on my name as a Haddock, _useless_ as it is!"

The silence dragged on for a few minutes and Hiccup finally raised his head to see Deathwing looking back him with a look of….dare he call it…..respect? The Alpha padded forward and delicately used his massive claws to gently push Hiccup's hands back down to his sides whilst casting a sideways glance at Silverwing and Twilight earning the most imperceptible of nods from them.

" **Now** _ **that**_ **was a demonstration of proper manners in the presence of a King!"** the Alpha rumbled in a warm base tone.

" **You would seek to call this your home? Why boy?"** Silverwing asked.

"I come from a place filled with cruel, savage, bitter people who drive away and hurt those are different" Hiccup replied as he fought to control the bitterness in his tone as he kept staring at Deathwing, "Toothless, my friend, told me that this place was free of such things. I here and now dare the King of the Nightfuries to prove him wrong!"

" **A bold statement human! And what promise do we have that you won't betray us?!"** the scarred Nightfury in the crowd hissed.

"Oh Come on!" Hiccup drawled, "Why would I betray you? Better yet how _could_ I betray you?...I'm stuck on island full of all seeing Nightfuries in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by a magical veil that only dragons can fly through. If I wanted to hurt any Nightfury here I doubt I'd get within ten feet of one to even try!"

" **Your argument is logical"** Deathwing intoned **, "and…..you** _ **intrigue**_ **me human…Hiccup. It's not every day a** _ **Haddock**_ **washes up on my shores and speaks so eloquently!"**

"Then I can stay?" Hiccup asked, hope re-igniting in his eyes as Deathwing loomed in front of him.

This was it, the moment of truth. Deathwing raised his head to the sky once more closing his eyes, muttering something Hiccup could barely make out.

" _ **sos vav 'ej qa' suh ghoplIj! toh he legh!"**_

After a few moments of silence, the dragon king looked back down on them as if weighing up the hundreds of different variables that might hinge on his decision. After an agonising few minutes Deathwing spoke his voice imperious and grand.

" **For the time being…YES…..My father's law will prevail. For now I will reserve judgement and you will be allowed to stay under the protection of…my son…"**

Toothless darted forward to stand by Hiccup and help the boy to his feet **"Oh Thank you fa….."**

" **But!..."** Deathwing interrupted **"…. only for short time!"**

Toothless and Hiccup looked confused at the King's answer before Deathwing continued.

" **In that time I am sure you will have your chance** _ **to prove yourself**_ **if the great Mother and Father spirits deem it so. Once the time is passed. I and I alone will decide whether you shall remain….or leave!"**

"As long your decision is only about me!" Hiccup replied, standing and placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Toothless has to be allowed to stay no matter what!"

" **Oh he will human,"** Deathwing rumbled, his cold tone returning **"make no mistake about that! My son has returned and his day of ascension to be Alpha in waiting is coming. I can sense it. He must be made ready and we have lost too much time as it is."**

" **I will only stay if Hiccup does!"** Toothless barked defiantly.

" **Enough!"** Deathwing barked back, **"You,** _ **my**_ **son, will take up the mantle you swore to uphold before you left us. You will honour your word and if that means letting this human decide his own fate….then so be it!"**

" **This conversation is feeling far too one-sided!"** Toothless drawled sarcastically earning a snort of laughter from Hiccup and a snort of frustration from Deathwing as he stretched out his vast wings speaking loudly.

" **The alpha has spoken! The human known as Hiccup will stay amongst us. Take in his scent my dragon kin so that you may know him!"**

" **Thank-you Father!"** Toothless chirped quickly to avoid being cut-off again.

" **Do not thank me yet son."** Deathwing snipped back, **"I've barely known this child an hour and though he is clever, already I see he attracts trouble!"**

Toothless could only smile wryly at the larger Nightfury that had sired him **, "Father! You have no idea!"**

"Thank you, your highness!" Hiccup saluted and bowed once more, "Hail king Deathwing! Lord of the Nightfuries!" the boy intoned with as much respect as he could muster affecting yet another little bow. Deathwing brought his head down again and gently butted the boy back a few feet with it. His eyes were a dark green now, like the evergreen forest during the failing light of dusk.

" **Know this human. You will watched."** The king spoke matter-of-factly; **"There will not be a moment when eyes are not upon you. When you are on my island, you are in my presence. Remember that!"**

All Hiccup could do was nod as both Deathwing and Silverwing turned and padded back into the black cavern from which they had emerged from, leaving the two alone. Well, alone with an island full of curious Nightfury dragons. With the Alpha and his mate gone, the rest of the Nightfuries slowly filed into the arena and came up to Hiccup and Toothless who kept close to Hiccup's side for reassurance.

A lot of Nightfuries didn't come close but simply reared up about twenty feet away and sniffed the air. Those that did come right up to him either through curiosity, genuine welcoming or intimidation pressed their snouts heavily into any part of his body that was exposed and none seemed too bothered with invading his personal space by sniffing his legs, his crotch or his behind. It was fascinating, getting a little insight into how dragon society worked, but humiliating at the same time, with Hiccup being examined like some kind of freak that didn't belong. After enduring the sniffing which lasted a good half hour, Hiccup noticed the Nightfuries seemed to fade away into the shadows of the rock formations, leaving them practically alone.

Toothless' siblings where the last to take Hiccup's scent in. As Nightbreaker, Twilight and Shade gently surrounded him, the young Viking boy suddenly felt a heavy weight on his back and turned his head only to come eye to eye with Midnight, who had come from nowhere and brought her lips so close to his ears, only he could hear her whisper.

" **Do not get comfortable here you stinking filth! You will be gone soon enough, I will make sure of it! You will not fool us like the last one did. My brother will be free of you….You are not welcome here you 'heeso' scum!"**

Hiccup shivered and shuddered, his mouth falling open at the little Nightfury's threat, as she jumped off him and with a smirk, trotted into Deathwing's cave, stopping only to cast Hiccup a spiteful glare over her shoulder.

" **Is everything alright Hiccup?"** Toothless asked his boy, noticing his unsettled look.

"Huh?...Oh yeah it's….It's fine…..yeah….everything's fine! You know meeting a King of Nightfuries is just a little overwhelming is all…..I could really do with some rest bud!"

Though Toothless didn't really believe Hiccup, he decided the boy needed rest more than further deep discussion, so he turned to his heavily armoured brother, **"Nightbreaker, is there a cave we could make use of for the night?"**

" **There is the cave 'Old Lonesome' used to frequent before he moved into the mountains!"** the large scarred Nightfury crooned from his perch nearby, not letting Toothless' brother reply for himself. Apparently not all of the other Nightfuries had left as the bigger dragon continued. **"It rests at the edge of the forest. You may stay there** _ **away**_ **from the rest of us until the decision has been made. My brother will not have your** _ **pet,**_ **privy to our ways until he is deemed worthy! Nightbreaker show them the way."**

" **Of course, uncle Darkwing!"** Nightbreaker replied, **"Brother, Hiccup, please follow me."**

Toothless wanted to protest at the wholly unfair position Hiccup had been put it, but he could not do anything, now that his father had given them this chance. It was a chance he would ensure Hiccup wouldn't miss. Turning to the scarred Nightfury he gave a curt nod And Nightbreaker, together with Twilight and Shade led them to the cave that would be their temporary home.

Hiccup passed the journey in total silence, his eyes darting about at the sound of every disturbed rock, rustling bush or gust of wind. Already he could feel the eyes of the island focused on him and it did nothing but make him feel uncomfortable.

He knew he stood a better chance of survival here than anywhere else and knew he would prove his worth to the Nightfuries even if it took all he had. He would convince Deathwing to let him stay. He had to, for without him Toothless couldn't fly and without Toothless, Hiccup would be…..well _….just Hiccup_ , the scrawny, useless waste of humanity he had always been, except this time he would have nowhere to go.

' _Maybe that was the whole point.'_ Hiccup mused as he stumbled over the rocky terrain.

 _'Maybe he wasn't supposed to be welcome anywhere!'_

For no matter how hard he wanted to hope or thought of ways to please his dragon hosts, one sentence kept repeating and reverberating in his head, motivating and terrifying him equal measure….

' _ **You are not welcome!'**_

* * *

 **Well there we are!**

 **The confrontation with the king of the Nightfuries and Toothless' family.**

 **There really was a lot going on here and I hope it flowed okay through all the different emotions and issues that came up.**

 **A few notes.**

 ** _The Alpha's call -_ Yes Deathwing used his Alpha's control ability on Toothless to make him reveal Hiccup. I figured this would show Deathwing's driven nature. He is by no means evil, just fiercely protective of his race and he doesn't know if Toothless is even himself anymore. He is staunchly against humans. The reason behind this will be revealed in a very important chapter later on.**

 **This also means Hiccup may become susceptible to the Alpha's call in the future, seeing he understands Dragoneese now. what will happen? who knows.**

 ** _Toothless' family_ \- Toothless' family is actually quite big so if anyone is interested then I will write a chapter that will somehow layout all the different members of Toothless' family so it's easier to follow who they are instead of writing them here in the authors notes.**

 ** _The history of the Hiccups_. Many writers chose to have Hamish the 2** **nd** **from the TV show as Hiccup Haddock the 2** **nd** **because of what happened in 'Portrait of Hiccup as a buff man'. Me, I'm mixing it up with a little bit of stuff from the books and my own personal take on it just to show that Hiccup is part of a (possibly cursed) legacy that has been tied to dragons for a lot longer than he realises and it will lead to future issues down the line. Just wanted to clarify who the guys are that Deathwing was talking about.**

 ** _Chapter length_ \- This is my longest chapter to date but I hope to return to shorter chapters in the future so I can get things sorted faster. Don't expect a chapter this long for a while. It's only for special occasions really.**

 ** _'Heeso'_ \- Midnight calls Hiccup this and it's a very plain yet very nasty word. It's meaning will be revealed in due course. Deathwing also uses this language in this chapter. Again it's name and translations will be revealed later.**

 **As always any PM's reviews, comments or questions are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	18. Eye of the beholder PT1

**Greetings all!**

 **It has been a while since my last upload but this particular chapter was quite challenging and went to places I didn't expect and turned out to be nice opening to 'The school of Dragons' arc. I hope you like it.**

 **I'll not waste your time any longer save to say there are some nice juicy movie quotes in this one. Good hunting!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return Of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 18 – Eye of the beholder Part 1**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons Ch-I)**_

 _ **Last time Hiccup and Toothless confronted Deathwing, Alpha of the Nightfuries and Toothless' father.**_

 _ **Now Hiccup has been granted temporary asylum until Deathwing decides if Hiccup is worthy to stay or if he must leave.**_

 _ **How will Hiccup fit in living with the Nightfuries?**_

 _ **Read on and find out.**_

* * *

 _ **(The Isle of Night, after dawn)**_

The next morning Hiccup awoke.

Usually it followed a pleasant, gradual routine; He would be stirred by the sounds of heavy breathing and the thumping of a huge dragon heart. Then his eyes would slowly open to being cuddled, nudged or even licked playfully by his warm dragon companion, before beginning a new day. It was a routine Hiccup had come to enjoy and in some ways rely upon after being alone for so many years and especially on the arduous flight that had led them here to the Isle of Night.

But that didn't happen this morning.

Instead of warm, soft Nightfury limbs, Hiccup opened his eyes to find himself on frigid, bare rock. The unpleasant force that was stirring him was the cold breeze from outside, slinking its way under his clothes, giving him Goosebumps and making him shiver all over. Groaning as he forced his body to sit up, Hiccup hugged himself to drive away the chills and surveyed his new home.

The cave he and Toothless had been brought to last night was about ten meters from the forest edge with a wide mouth that seemed to let in every sound and breeze that sailed by. Following the emotional encounter with Deathwing, Hiccup was so tired and it was so dark that he hadn't bothered to inspect the cave too thoroughly. After removing Toothless' harness, saddle and prosthetic tailfin at the dragon's request, as the leather had been painfully chaffing him, Hiccup had just curled up with Toothless and fallen quickly into a deep slumber.

He had been awoken a few times by dragon barks and howls that echoed through the night, but managed to quell his fears knowing he was safe in his beloved Nightfury's embrace and dozed off again.

But now, in the cold morning light, Toothless was gone for some reason and Hiccup felt depressed, taking in the spartan hole in the ground for what it was. The only sign that indicated Hiccup was even here, was Toothless' gear lying in the corner and the boy had a hollow feeling that something important was missing, besides his scaled ebony friend. Yet he couldn't put his finger on it.

Suddenly Hiccup remembered the last time he had awoken on the ground alone. Toothless had used his magic on him!

"Oh Gods! Not again!" Hiccup yelped as he bolted to his feet

Looking wildly at the floor around him, Hiccup's spinning head calmed when he realised there were no scorch marks where he slept.

"Phew! No new crazy dragon magic! Thanks bud" Hiccup sighed with relief.

" **You say that like it's a bad thing Hiccup!"** a warm voice lilted from the cave mouth as a black shadow came into his eye line.

"Sorry bud. I didn't mean to offend you for….oh!"

Hiccup cut himself short as he realised the Nightfury in the doorway was not Toothless. It was smaller and thinner than his best friend and for a moment he wasn't sure which of the many dragons he had met last night this could be.

' _Is this someone new?'_ Hiccup thought ' _Great! Yet another Nightfury he had to make friends with, probably involving more sniffing!'_

But his mind was quickly put to rest as the Nightfury tilted her head, letting the rising sunlight catch her glimmering silver eyes. Instantly he knew who this particular dragon was.

"Oh!...Good morning Twilight!" Hiccup yipped trying to sound as cordial as he could.

" **Good morning Hiccup"** Twilight reciprocated cheerfully, even affecting a little bow of greeting, **"You slept well, I trust?"**

"Sure…Okay I guess," Hiccup replied, stretching his stiff neck and sore joints "though it did get a little noisy from time to time. Is it always like that around here?"

" **Ah!...yes"** Twilight chuckled **"we Nightfuries are usually** _ **nocturnal**_ **beings, so we spend most of our waking hours at night. Give it few months and you will get used to it…or you will have a mental breakdown!"**

"What?" Hiccup yelped in fright at the possibility of losing his mind and the nonchalant way Twilight addressed the issue.

" **HA ha ha ha!"** Twilight laughed heartily at the boy's shocked reaction, **"my brother was right, you really are too easy to joke around with! Ha ha ha!"**

"Oh…Toothless told you about that eh?" Hiccup chuckled, joining the seemingly amicable Nightfury in her humour as he nervously scratched the back of his head. Though Hiccup knew he wasn't the best judge of _human_ character, he could tell right away, he liked this dragon. And it seemed the young female liked him too, due to the comfortable air that surrounded them in that moment.

"Speaking of Toothless, where is he?" Hiccup began, wishing his friend could share this joviality and his already good progress with making a new Nightfury friend, "normally he's here when I wake up."

" **He's training with Nightbreaker at the moment,"** Twilight intoned, " **Lord Deathwing has ordered that Shadow reacquaint himself with his people over the next few days, so you may not see much of him. I have been given the task of …** _ **escorting**_ **… you about the island."**

" _Escorting_ huh?" Hiccup drawled, Twilight's choice of word not being lost on him in the slightest, "You mean you're my guard!"

" **Call it what you will Hiccup"** Twilight cooed, coming right up to him, concern plastered across her dark face **"We all live under the Alpha's care and command. Your presence here makes things difficult for us and there are some who would take steps to** _ **'rectify'**_ **that.**

Twilight watched closely as Hiccup's eyes widened at her new turn of phrase. She knew the Viking boy realised he was in very precarious situation. With Toothless no longer present, he could find himself at the mercy of any hostile Nightfury he crossed paths with. And right now he was on an entire island full of them.

" **But…"** Twilight continued before Hiccup's alarm could grow further **, "…your life is important to my brother and that means you are important me. Until our Father makes his decision I will ensure you are kept safe."**

Hiccup could feel the truthfulness in the Twilight's lyrical voice and so smiled and nodded, uttering a heartfelt "thank-you" to the female Nightfury.

" **So!"** Twilight chirped, ending their little moment **"What would you like to do? I could show you some of the Island or we could perhaps join a hunting pack?"**

"Pack?" Hiccup creased his brow at the word as it suddenly sparked his memory at what he was missing. "Twilight! Last night. When we arrived here, Toothless had a large basket on his back, didn't he?"

" **Indeed he did!"** Twilight replied, **"I believe it came off after we crashed in the forest."**

"That was my traveling pack!" Hiccup declared, "I need to find it. It has all my things in it!"

" **Things?"** Twilight's eyes narrowed in suspicion, knowing that _'Hiccup the First's'_ obsession with 'things' had led to his downfall, **"What things?"**

"Oh just basic stuff I need to survive. Clothes, notebooks, tools." Hiccup rambled enthusiastically, "I'll show you when we find it. Will you help me?"

" **Of course",** the female replied warmly, **"I remember where we came down so it should still be there. Come! This way!"**

And with that, the wayward Viking boy strode happily into the woods, following a curious, silver-eyed Nightfury. Things were finally looking up.

Little did either of them know, a blue-eyed Nightfury began to stalk after them, hiding their body in the shadows and malice in their heart.

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, elsewhere)**_

 **DUCK** _ **….**_

 _ **(he counters with a tail sweep that sends me sprawling, then pounces at me.)**_

 **SHIFT LEFT** _ **…**_

 _ **(I barely get out of the way, but he recovers faster than I anticipated. He bounds at me again**_ **)**

 **DODGE LEFT AGAIN** _ **….**_

 _ **(ha! he's over extended his reach! Now I strike!)**_

 **SHOUDER BARGE** _ **….**_

 _ **(Damn his armour is tough! The attack barely fazes him! I follow through with a tail swipe of my own.)**_

 **MISS?...What the** _ **?...**_

 _ **(how can a dragon that heavy dodge me so quickly? He slowly backs away as I keep up the pressure with some quick-fire attacks.)**_

 **LEFT CLAW SWIPE, RIGHT CLAW SWIPE, LEFT, LEFT, RIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, CROUCH THEN POUNCE** _ **!...**_

 _ **(**_ _ **he's going to get it now!)**_

 **WHAO!...FLIPPED AND PINNED** _ **?! ...**_

 _ **(He just ripped me out of the air and slammed me into the ground on my back! Great Mother and Father Spirit! What is going on here? I can't move with his weight on top of me as he leans in with that smug face of his close to mine!)**_

Toothless continued to writhe in his frustrations as Nightbreaker loomed over his prostrated form, the thickly armoured Nightfury savouring his continued victory over his elder brother, during their day long sparring session. It was an unsettling feeling that had been compounded by an already troubling morning.

Firstly, he had been woken by his Alpha's call to go and train with his brother so they might get to know each other again, while Twilight looked after Hiccup. This wouldn't have been a problem had he been given a chance to wake Hiccup and explain the situation to his boy.

But no.

Deathwing's order was absolute and so he had no choice but to abandon his slumbering Hiccup in their cave. Having exchanged a few pleasantries with his sister, Toothless found Nightbreaker in this clearing, sharpening his talons and for the first time in decades he engaged his brother in playful combat.

' _He didn't like leaving Hiccup alone. He hoped Twilight would be gentle with him. Toothless hated not being in control.'_

Secondly this feeling of helplessness about Hiccup was made ever more infuriating by his current position. For Toothless had fought many dragons in his life and bested most of them. But it had been over 20 years since he had faced another Nightfury and despite the wild exhilaration he felt at once again sparring with one of his own kind, his younger brother had somehow been fighting rings around him all morning, pinning him time after time after time.

Every time, in fact.

Toothless couldn't understand it and it seemed his brother shared his frustrations.

" **Come on Shadow! Stop** _ **trying**_ **to hit me and** _ **hit**_ **me!"** Nightbreaker demanded imperiously, as he heavily bounced off Toothless' exposed underbelly, knocking the wind out his lungs and reassumed his fighting stance.

" **GAH!...Alright Nightbreaker",** Toothless hissed scrambling back to his feet, resuming a new posture of attack **"and by the way the name is Toothless!"** he stated evenly as the two Nightfuries circled each other again, taking the other's measure, both looking for a new way to attack or counter.

" **I will stick to calling you** _ **'brother'**_ **then,"** Nightbreaker grumbled, his gaze unflinching as he readied himself for the lunge he knew was coming, **"for father has ordered us not to call you by your human's** _ **slave name**_ **until he makes his decision!"**

The narrowing of Toothless' eyes confirmed Nightbreaker's suspicion as his elder brother leapt at him, claws and teeth bared to try and pin him. It was a sloppy frontal attack and both dragons knew it as Toothless shouted, **"It was father's orders that caused me to leave in the first place Nightbreaker! So I'm going to be very picky about which of his** _ **orders**_ **I follow!"**

" **As you say…brother."** Nightbreaker crooned as he deftly rolled right underneath Toothless.

He could easily have taken advantage of Toothless' exposed airborne position. He could have stopped mid-roll, vaulted up and pinned him on his back again. But Nightbreaker refrained. His task was not yet complete and he was not here to humiliate his brother. If nothing else Nightbreaker was an honourable combatant.

" **Yes…yes I do!"** Toothless growled in frustration as he realised they had just basically switched positions in the clearing and were back to staring each other down, their chests heaving from their exertions.

This time Nightbreaker attacked. Rearing up on his hind legs, he lunged forward opening his claws wider than normal. Toothless knew exactly what to do as he mirrored Nightbreaker's move. In an instant both dragons' front paws were locked together and their foreheads pressed forcefully against one another as they began a new bout of wrestling. Toothless' forest green eyes met Nightbreaker's fiery red eyes as they burned deep within his armour plating.

" **So…urrghhh!…..your human pet?"** Nightbreaker grunted as he pushed Toothless back a few steps.

" **What….hunnnn!…..about him?"** Toothless growled back under the pressure of his brother's weight and penetrating glare.

" **Care to tell me what the story is with him?"** Nightbreaker smirked as he continued to apply pressure, forcing Toothless back yet another few steps.

" **You're asking this now? As we spar**?" Toothless asked in irritation. He dug his hind claws deeply into the ground effectively halting Nightbreaker's advance, yet forcing his own leg and back muscles to work even harder.

" **Verily!"** Nightbreaker heartily pressed further both verbally and physically, **"I don't need Twilight's 'gaze of truth' to tell if you're lying! For me, you only truly know someone until you fight them and I want to know, what brings a weak human into a position where he can enslave an Alpha-line Nightfury such as yourself!"**

" **He hasn't enslaved me!"** Toothless growled back, pushing himself to the point where it was now Nightbreaker's turn to take a few steps back.

" **Oh really!? Ha ha ha ha!"** Nightbreaker chuckled gleefully at his brother fighting back but also at the prospect of learning some new truth, **"there was a time when you would have happily feasted on Viking flesh and now, all of a sudden, you protect one of them like he was your only hatchling? Forgive me if I seem a bit sceptical but it looks like he has some unholy hold over you!"**

" **He has no hold over me that I do not allow! He saved me!"** Toothless surged pushing Nightbreaker back further, building up momentum in his charge. Because both dragons were locked together, the increasing movement forced both off balance and they crashed to the ground, each scrambling to break the hold, yet unwilling to let the other go, lest they give their opponent a free claw to attack with.

" **How?"** Nightbreaker demanded as the Nightfuries rolled about chaotically on the grass.

" **I was wounded in battle and this happened!"** Toothless managed to wriggle free and whipped his tail around in front of him. He fanned out his tail fins to reveal that, while the right one was completely intact, the left one was completely absent. Nightbreaker's eyes went wide with horror at the damming injury and he cursed himself for not realising sooner.

 **It made sense now!**

' _Why Toothless had been so easy to knock out the sky last night, why he ran to the human's aid, why he arrived at this place of battle on foot, why there was something 'off' about his style of combat! It was tragic! It was outrageous! It was heart-breaking!'_

Without thinking, Nightbreaker lashed out and seized Toothless' tail with his own and brought the injured limb closer to his eyes for inspection. Toothless strangely began to feel embarrassed by this scrutiny and tried to pull away, sparking a new type of wrestling between them.

" **This….this explains a lot!"** Nightbreaker intoned, his voice threatening to hitch as he realised the full ramifications of Toothless' condition and an old Viking saying that 'Old Lonesome' had shared with him.

' _ **A downed dragon is a dead dragon!'**_

The armour plated Nightfury quickly composed himself, realising he had given as much of himself away as Toothless had during this particular bout. Returning to his steely combative persona, he mono-toned, **"Your balance is way off, you're not compensating enough for the difference in weight and you're favouring your right side too much! A pity…you were always a magnificent flyer!"**

" **I still am thanks to my boy",** Toothless quipped as he yanked his tail out Nightbreaker's grip, composing himself as well, **"Hiccup built me a new tailfin. _They_ are what keep me balanced now."**

" **That pile of straps and animal hide?"** Nightbreaker asked incredulously as he dashed up, span on the spot and side-slammed his body into Toothless, **"Twilight suspected why you wore it! So you cannot fly without him?!"**

" **Ugggghhhh!"** Toothless groaned as he stumbled sideways from the impact, his legs threatening to buckle, **"That is true brother! Yet, most importantly, without him,** _ **I would not be here**_ **today!"**

" **So that is his game!"** Nightbreaker barked as he side-slammed Toothless again, the force of the hit making Toothless land heavily against a large tree, **"The Viking seeks to blackmail us into granting him asylum because he thinks only he can make you fly! A cunning one this human is!"**

" **He seeks to blackmail no-one!"** Toothless had to wince as he spoke, his bruised ribs creaking as they drew in enough air for him to speak. **"All he seeks is a place to belong",** the Nightfury urged as he began clambering up the tree, hoping to move the combat away from ground level where his brother had clearly been holding the advantage. He didn't get too far as a powerful tug on his tail stopped Toothless in his climb. Looking back down he saw Nightbreaker was firmly, yet delicately holding onto his tail with his thick-set paws, meeting his eyes dead on.

" **You do know father and some of the healers can just heal you and you won't have to wear that clumsy apparatus!"** Nightbreaker intoned earnestly, his red eyes almost pleading with his brother to do so.

Toothless couldn't meet Nightbreaker's expression and turned his head as if to scan the trees around him for prey or a better vantage point, unwilling to further engage in the current topic of conversation. But a light tug on his tail from Nightbreaker reminded him that his brother was not only demanding an answer, but deserved one as well.

" **Nightbreaker, I know I could have my tailfin returned to me** _ **, easily**_ **now that I am home…"** Toothless trailed off before matching his brother's questioning eyes with a determined gaze of his own, **"…But now is not the time for that decision to be made. I have to focus on making sure Hiccup is accepted!"** and once again Toothless yanked his half-tailfin out his brother's grip and resumed his ascent up the tree with renewed vigour, launching himself off branches and digging his claws in to the bark as he heaved himself up, Nightbreaker close on his heels.

" **It means that much to you that he stays?"** Nightbreaker called up from beneath, dodging the branches Toothless broke off and hurled at him as they climbed, until a particular thick branch smacked him on the snout eliciting an unfamiliar yelp from the armoured dragon.

" **Of course it does!"** Toothless replied not even trying to hide the smirk on his face at the hit he scored on his brother's nose.

" **Interesting!"** Nightbreaker growled with a wry smile of his own. He would pay Toothless back for that little stunt. He would make sure of it. Even as he saw Toothless vault off the tree above him to land on an adjacent tree, then leap again and latch on to another, with a glance back that dared him to keep up.

The two Nightfuries continued this cat and mouse game, Toothless using his lighter weight and better agility to dart between the trees while the heavier Nightbreaker tried to keep pace.

As they chased each other over forty feet in the air, branches were dislodged, leaves scattered while small birds and mammals chittered angrily at being disturbed by the two competing dragons. They began to move faster and faster, two large shadows racing as if trying to outrun the light of the sun itself as it filtered through the jagged, leafy canopy above them. The shadows of the dragons threatened the rip the rays of sunshine apart, so driven were their movements.

Every once in a while the two Nightfuries would collide on the same tree, each trying to drag the other to the forest floor while the other held on to the tree trunk for dear life. They would leap and dive and thrust and swipe, each the near equal of the other. But even with this new advantage, Nightbreaker still had the stamina to outlast Toothless' assault.

" **You fight well brother!"** Toothless barked through ragged breathing and a double clawed shove, hoping to send Nightbreaker falling to the ground.

" **And you as well!"** Nightbreaker shot back as his claws tore into the wood halting his fall, his shoulders aching from the hit his brother had gotten in.

" **Has your armour thickened even more?"** the elder brother asked as he snaked down the tree and moved to the opposite side of the trunk Nightbreaker hung from.

" **It has!"** Nightbreaker bellowed cheerfully **, "I doubt even your fire or claws could pierce it!"**

" **Oh I don't need to pierce it!"** Toothless chuckled ruefully as he began sucking air into his lungs. He only had one shot and had to make it count.

" **What do you…..AAAHHHHHH!"**

Nightbreaker's words caught in his chest as did the force of Toothless' plasma blast. Toothless deliberately didn't put any fire into his breath, making sure it was a purely concussive attack. He watched gleefully as the blast caught his brother's wings and catapulted him back toward the clearing, dislodging more branches and smashing into the ground with a dragon curse and a loud clattering thud.

In seconds Toothless was on the ground, dashing back towards the clearing, eager to press his advantage and possibly do some gloating of his own. As he burst into the clearing, Toothless thought he had Nightbreaker exactly where he wanted him, but the aforementioned dragon suddenly appeared running beside him.

' _ **What in the name of great Mother and Father spirit?'**_

Shocked, Toothless frantically turned sharply and tried to vault back up into the trees, only for him to be cut off by Nightbreaker and his smug self-satisfied grin.

The outcome was painfully the same with Toothless pinned and Nightbreaker on top of him, except this time Toothless was flat on his belly. This felt even more humiliating. But Toothless took some solace in the fact that he wouldn't have to look Nightbreaker in the eye as he gloated.

It was a good thing too, for Toothless would not like what he saw.

For a look of disgust had begun to darken Nightbreaker's features. He stared down at his older brother, once the greatest warrior of their clan and wondered what had happened to make him so predictable, so slow, when he was clearly the smarter, faster, more agile and ultimately more powerful of the pair.

Something was wrong here. More than just his tailfin. Something deeper.

Something was blocking Toothless' full potential. Nightbreaker could see it. Not through any kind of special ability but simply by knowing intimately what this particular Nightfury was capable of. Right now it was what Toothless wasn't using concerned Nightbreaker who in his frustration slapped Toothless on his head.

Hard.

" **OW!...Hey! Watch what you're doing up there, you armour plated salamander! This is supposed to be a friendly spar!"** Toothless moaned in annoyance.

" **What's wrong with you?!"** Nightbreaker snapped, causing Toothless' eyes to widen in surprise at his angry tone, **"Why didn't you make that turn faster!?"**

" **What? That's my quickest turning speed!"** Toothless protested, annoyed at being interrogated like a hatchling, **"I can't make it any tighter!"**

" **Yes you can and you know it!"** Nightbreaker barked back.

" **What are you talking about?"** Toothless was getting infuriated at his brother's patronizing tone yet he couldn't get free to confront him face to face, **"how do you propose I make a turn like that?"**

" **Like this!"** Nightbreaker crooned darkly, cocking back his right front leg, retracting his claws and making a thick dragon fist.

" **Nightbreaker what are you doing?"** Toothless asked, uncertainty creeping in to his tone as his eyes darted worriedly from side to side trying to get a better view of his brother.

" **Just looking for the right spot"** Nightbreaker grumbled studiously before yelping in triumph, **"Ah Hah! I bet your little human didn't know about this! Relax brother, this may feel….a little weird!"**

" **Brother get off …..aaaaahhhhhh!"**

Any further protest Toothless tried to muster died as a wholly alien sensation engulfed his entire body.

It started where the base of his neck met the top of his spine, as Nightbreaker forcefully jammed his thick knuckles into his backbone in a rough grinding motion. Toothless was powerless as his brother pushed harder and rotated his paw further. It seemed as if he was trying to pound Toothless' vertebra to dust and the pain was excruciating.

Toothless uttered many dragon curse words as he gritted his teeth under the seemingly unending pressure, squirming harder and feeling more helpless than ever. He wanted nothing more than to throw off his belligerent brother but Nightbreaker's weight and position held him firm.

The pain lasted only a few moments, exploding into something far different and far more confusing.

A mighty wave of release, of the letting go of something, sprung out of the well of pain Nightbreaker was causing. This time it didn't spread in all directions but in one singular direction. A wave, of what could only be called ecstasy, ran straight down his spine to the very end of his tail and as it travelled Toothless could hear a distinct set of 'popping' sounds. The sounds were accompanied by the feeling he had somehow been sliced in two, right down the middle of his dorsal fins. He wanted to faint as the uncertainty of this new sensation threatened to overwhelm him.

Nightbreaker's deep jovial voice ensured Toothless remained conscious as the heavier dragon finally stepped off of him and came to stand in front of his head. **"** _ **Now**_ **you can make those tight turns!"** Nightbreaker declared.

Toothless slowly raised his head and looked back. The Nightfury's feeling of being cut in two was actually quite accurate and his eyes widened in shock as he beheld the single set of dorsal fins on his back.

They were no longer one set, now they were two!

Toothless stared slack jawed at the ' V ' shape of muscles that now ran the length of his spine. When he focused his mind on them he was astonished to see them open and close. He could adjust how far apart they opened and instinctively knew that this would increase his manoeuvrability exponentially. He was over joyed, ecstatic and elated! He kept starring at the fins repeatedly flexing them; opening and closing….opening and closing….opening and closing…but as he did so, his mind raced frantically at this new development.

' _ **How could he have not known about these extra dorsal fins before? Why had he not been taught to use them?'**_

' _Wait! He had!'_

A memory surfaced of his youth when he stood before his mother on a cliff-top and she was showing him how to activate the unique set of back muscles and how advantageous they were for flight, especially for the highly stealthy striker dragons that were Nightfuries. Toothless smiled at the warm feelings the memory of his mother stirred in him.

However that pleasant memory instantly became cloudy and dark and was replaced a sharp stinging sensation that pierced his brain, causing him to clamp his eyes shut and shriek in pain. He visibly shivered as this new oppressive memory over-rode every nerve ending in his body and he remembered the despicable overwhelming voice that had haunted him for decades.

* * *

" _ **You will not need those fancy spinner-fins my slave! Can't have you flying away on me now, can I?"**_

He was surrounded by fire…and death….and pain…and an insatiable hunger.

" _ **Listen to my voice night-child! It is the sound of inevitability! It is the sound of death!"**_

The oppressive force demanded blind obedience and he gave it.

" _ **You will always be alone. You are mine my little Nightfury ha ha ha! Now go! I hunger my herald! kill kill kill!"**_

* * *

The memories were tearing at him now and tears threatened to leak out of his sealed-shut dragon eyes as he remembered.

It was _her._

It had always been _her,_ whispering to him, taunting him, controlling him, supressing him, his memories and his true power.

And he had _let_ her.

' _ **What kind of self-respecting Nightfury was he to fall into the thraldom of that mountain sized Eel spawn?!'**_

It was shameful.

It was unthinkable.

It was _unforgivable!_

His memories of despair exploded into feelings of unbridled rage and he unknowingly extended his claws to their fullest, most lethal extent.

A distant voice, familiar yet alien tugged on his consciousness as it got louder

" **Brother?….BroTHER!...BROTHER!...TOOTHLESS!"**

It happened so fast when he heard his new name and the feeling of a heavy paw jabbing his head. Hard.

Eyes, filled with acidic green rage and uncontrolled fury snapped open, a feral roar burst from a mouth bearing razor sharp teeth. Nightbreaker was so shocked, he couldn't hold Toothless at bay as he leapt at him and found himself flat on his back, staring up at his eldest brother. In that instant he regarded Toothless with respect, but more so with fear as he saw the bloodlust in Toothless' eyes along with the heaving of his chest, giving way to strained animalistic growls

" **Brother?...Snap out of it!...What's…What's wrong?!"**

Nightbreaker's heart froze as Toothless, slowly looked down at him, a distant bloodshot glaze hovering over his narrow-slitted eyes. Nightbreaker saw nothing of his noble nest-sibling in the look he was being given. He was looking into the face of a savage, unhinged creature that didn't seem to care for his life and was now willing to take it for no apparent reason.

Toothless raised a claw, the sun glinting off the sharpened talons and hissed quietly in a voice that was most definitely not his own.

" **For the queen!"**

Nightbreaker, terrified had no chance to react as Toothless' claw slammed into his shoulder, penetrating his flesh, making him release a wild howl of pain. He had barely time to process the feeling when the claw was removed and then plunged into him again, this time into the thick armour plating around his head.

He had been wrong about his armour. Toothless pierced it _easily_! The force of the impact threatened to render him unconscious.

But Nightbreaker was made of sterner stuff. _Quite literally._

Though he had been surprised and cut deeply, Toothless hadn't done any lasting damage. His armour had indeed grown a lot stronger and he was quick to think of something to snap his brother out this bizarre berserk outburst. Before a third fatal strike - aimed obviously for his throat - could be landed, Nightbreaker forced all of his strength into his tail, wings and neck and with one mighty spasm, he launched forward and slammed his thickly plated forehead into Toothless' face.

The resultant impact echoed off the trees and had the desired effect of not only stunning Toothless, but forcing him off Nightbreaker, shaking his head vigorously as he stumbled about. Toothless felt his mind come back to him as he was shook himself. The red mist seemed to fall away like drops of rain pouring off him in a storm.

As he came back to himself, eyes rounding out to their normal docile shape, Toothless found himself overcome with feelings of remorse and bitter self-loathing as he took in Nightbreaker's shocked, limping form.

Toothless instantly sensed the air was thick with the scent of blood. He looked to his brother to see three dark red gashes on his forehead and a stream of blood dripping heavily down Nightbreaker's foreleg. He also felt a strange moist sensation on his own lips. Crossing his eyes to see his snout, Toothless realised a steady stream of blood was pouring from his nostrils, a clear sign of just how hard Nightbreaker had hit him. Nightbreaker had clearly raptured the blood vessels in his nose. If he had been hit harder, Toothless was pretty confident the impact might have even fractured or broken his entire skull. It was a sobering thought and Toothless struggled to look at his brother.

For even though Nighhtbreaker's eyes were set deep within his armour, Toothless could clearly see the wariness in those blood red orbs that regarded him now with equal amounts of concern and suspicion.

" **N-n-n-Nightbreaker?...Brother?...Are you alright?"** Toothless queried, taking a tentative step towards his wounded sibling.

" **Heh…..Looks like my armour isn't the only thing that's gotten stronger."** Nightbreaker tried to joke as he limped towards Toothless.

All Toothless wanted to do was turn and flee from his brother to hide how wretched he felt. To disappear up a tree or into a cave to hide his embarrassment and his dishonour for letting a friendly sparring session degenerate into a bloody attack.

But he couldn't…. _wouldn't_ run. He had done it before and was still living with the infinite consequences of that decision, so he swallowed his pride and remained where he was.

' _Would he ever be free of…..her….of that damned corrupting influence?'_

His thoughts were interrupted with a gentle thump and the feeling of another body pressing against his side as he looked to see Nightbreaker sitting on his haunches licking away at the gash in his shoulder stemming the blood flow. The contact was welcome for it showed Nightbreaker still trusted him as a nest-sibling and friend. Toothless reciprocated, sat up and leaned into Nightbreaker, eager to accept and extend the comforting atmosphere his brother was trying to establish, despite the faint smell of fear that was evident between the two dragons at what had just happened.

" **you're hurt,"** Toothless grumbled morosely as he watched Nightbreaker casually licking his wounds, **" I….I did this!"**

" **Nothing a few hours rest won't cure,"** Nightbreaker replied warmly, desperate to put his brother at ease, **"I guess I deserve it for over-stepping the mark like that. I didn't know you had lost the use of your 'spinner-fins' and that you would react that way."**

" **I didn't know I lost them either!"** Toothless groaned. Despite everything he had been able to recall of his past since being shot down, there still several gaps in his mind, dark holes that had once been filled with images and sounds and feelings of an older, happier life. To be at such a disadvantage was terrifying and by the same token, rage-inducing.

" **What did you mean when you said** _ **'for the queen'**_ **?"** Nightbreaker rumbled, a firmer tone underlying his new line of questioning.

" **I…..I did something…Something not good…It haunts me."** Toothless muttered keeping his gaze firmly ahead trying not to give anything away.

" **Speak of it brother, break the words with me!"** Nightbreaker calmly urged. He wanted so much to be a brother to him once more, to know what had come over Toothless, what had happened to him, who this 'queen' was and to help him if possible. But from the fight, Nightbreaker realised it was an issue so huge, it might crush even his armoured mind.

" **I can't….I…..not yet!...the…..shame is….too great,"** Toothless responded in barely a whisper, desperate to not let his betrayal of his kind spill out before he had fully regained what he lost. He still felt the reassuring firm scaly presence of Nightbreaker leaning against him, but in this moment he would rather have had the softer skin and freckled face of his Hiccup by his side for support.

Even though they had been separated for the day, the Nightfury knew they still relied on each other and Toothless had to make sure his own actions didn't jeopardize the future of his best friend.

" **I assume that whatever it is, involves your human** _ **pet!**_ **"** Nightbreaker pressed coldly, seemingly hurt at being rejected, knowing his elder's line of thought **"this Hiccup?!"**

" **No!..."** Toothless snapped his head to look Nightbreaker in the eyes. The armoured Nightfury's gaze was inscrutable, clearly showing he didn't believe him. Slumping his shoulders, Toothless couldn't take any more of his brother's gaze, so stood and walked slowly to get a bit of distance to organize his thoughts **"…..but in a way…..yes…..it is difficult to explain…..Hiccup will be fascinated to know about my spinner-fins. I can't wait to tell him!"**

" **The boy distracts you brother!"** Nightbreaker snapped, effectively stopping Toothless from leaving, but also touching on the more important subject of discussion that had been part of his assignment. **"If his presence makes you act out like this…don't you think it's dangerous to both of you that he stays? He has no real knowledge of us to help him survive, he is a** _ **Haddock**_ **and he has a very disturbing air about him. There is danger here brother and I fear for you. With you being the firstborn, why not just let him go?"**

Toothless halted his pacing and looked back at his brother. Bile rose in his throat as he reluctantly acknowledged Nightbreaker did have a point. Hiccup was forever at the forefront of his mind now. Maybe that was the reason why he had been constantly been bested in combat this day.

' _ **Was it wise for Hiccup to stay? Did his human have the wherewithal to live amongst them? Could he bear to be parted from his human, knowing what he knew now he was home?'**_

Toothless set a firm gaze that matched Nightbreaker's, showing how resolute he was in his course. **"Danger followed me. Danger followed Hiccup! It seems to follow us both. But** _ **together**_ **we will beat whatever comes our way. This I vow…brother!"**

" **You do know im going to tell father about this conversation!"** Nightbreaker uttered grimly.

" **Of course. And you will be able to tell him what I told you is the truth."** Toothless replied a wry smile beaking his lips.

" **But you haven't told me** _ **everything!"**_ Nightbreaker barked, the sorrow evident in his voice, _ **"**_ **We are of the Alpha's line, nest-siblings! We should be able to share anything!"**

Toothless felt for his brother. He hated keeping his secrets for they weighted heavily on his own dragon-heart.

But to tell his brother and have that information come back to his father second-hand was unacceptable to Toothless.

He wanted to _see_ the expression in his sire's face when he finally told him what had happened, _hear_ the cadence of the Alpha's voice and examine his king's aura as he processed what he heard. Toothless would know once and for all whether coming back here had been the best course of action. Nightbreaker's continuing stare pulled him from his thoughts.

" **To tell you everything would take another 20 years….."** Toothless said pleadingly **"…..and Hiccup doesn't have that long! I need for him to be accepted now!"**

" **Why?!"** Nightbreaker urged again stepping close to him, bloodied face to bloodied face, **"Why do you care for the boy so much? What is the great haste in him being allowed to stay? Why do you persist?"**

Toothless was unfazed by his brother's intensity, **"You heard him last night. He has not had a good life…"** the elder Nightfury intoned. **"He was not understood by his own kind, He has nowhere to go. He just needs time to be understood. I promised him he would find it here with…..us. I fear he won't be able to survive without father's blessing and we can't wait forever".**

" **And you swear he has not brainwashed you like father suspects?!"** Nightbreaker asked, his voice desperate for reassurance, unnerved more now by the extent of his brother's 'human obsession'.

" **There was…control...but not from Hiccup!"** Toothless replied firmly with a resonant thrum echoing from his core showing the power and sincerity behind his truth. **"Tell father if he wishes to know what I mean, he will have to come and ask me himself!"**

There was no threat in Toothless statement, merely authority that came from an Alpha class dragon, leaving only one option for Nightbreaker to take….compliance.

" **As you say brother!"** was all the armoured dragon could say.

" **In time, you will understand Hiccup if you give him a chance"** Toothless urged before his eyes narrowed at his brother, **"Promise me you will! And I can tell if you are the one lying now!"**

Between Toothless' core of authority and the desperate need he expressed for his brother's understanding was all Nightbreaker needed as he considered the events of the day. He had done well in his task and would report to Deathwing accordingly. If he could learn more from Toothless' companion to explain his brother's new demeanour then he was all too willing to at least try. **"Very well brother, I give my word. If a chance to learn more about this Hiccup comes up…..I will take it. The boy is intriguing to say the least. I look forward to taking his measure!"**

" **Excellent!"** Toothless chirped seemingly happy with the outcome of their conversation.

" **Now, shall we continue?"** Nightbreaker replied, eager to find a way of dispelling the tension that built so quickly between them

" **Really with your shoulder like that?"** Toothless asked surprised, **"Should you not rest?"**

" **No need brother!"** Nightbreaker declared, slowly stretching his joints and fanning his wings slightly and cocking a sly grin at Toothless, **"I have fought with worse injuries. This just means I get to go easy on you! Who knows you might even get to pin me again!"**

" **Oh don't you worry brother, I'm sure I will!"** Toothless shot back, friendly competitive energy igniting once again within him, eagerly willing to brush away the heaviness of their conversation.

" **Then by all means you are welcome to try! Come on then! LET'S HAVE IT!"** Nightbreaker roared triumphantly

At that, both Nightfuries returned to their duelling. Not many more words were exchanged save for the odd taunt or congratulation on a well-earned victory. They lost themselves in the unspoken language of combat, communicating with swipes, jabs and fast changes in balance and stance. The combat was less frenetic due to Nightbreaker's injury and Toothless being unwilling to over-exploit it, but it was still a vigorous and enjoyable exercise.

So caught up were they in their exchange, both Toothless and Nightbreaker failed to notice - or chose to ignore - a pair of energetic blue eyes that had been watching and listening to them the whole time. As the hours passed and the two dragons finally ended their sparring session, the owner of the eyes darted away, eager to share what they had learned with their accomplice.

It had been an interesting day.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **I had no idea this chapter was going to be so long. The duel between Toothless and Nightbreaker just took on a life of its own and I hoped I did the dragon combat justice. This reveals a little bit of Toothless' backstory and that he still has issues to deal with. We got to see a bit more of Nightbreaker and Twilight and I hope you like them.**

 **Toothless gets his extra dorsal fins now as he did in HTTYD 2 but rather than Valka doing it, Nightbreaker does it. I figured seeing he was around Nightfuries who would know about them and being around someone as knowledgeable as Nightbreaker was the natural way. Plus it opened up the doors to some dark places as well which should lead to more fun in the future.**

 **The next chapter will involve Hiccup's encounter with Twilight and where they are going and how they interact.**

 **I hope you guys like where the Isle of Night arc is going. There's a lot of ground to cover and a lot things I'm going to be exploring for a while so I hope it's good for you. Toothless and Hiccup have so much to deal with in the coming months.**

 **Any questions, suggestions, PM's reviews or feedback are greatly welcomed as they are what spur me on to write this stuff.**

 **Til next time**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	19. Eye of the beholder PT2

**Greetings all**

 **Here we have another chapter.**

 **Sorry it took so long but being on the road has slowed my productivity down. I know I said the last the chapter was a fluke in terms of length because it took on a life of its own. Well guess what? So did this one and seeing it involves Hiccup I figured I couldn't short-change the kid. The tone is slightly different than the last chapter which I think gives a nice contrast to Toothless' all action approach.**

 **As always all questions, reviews, comments, P.M.s are greatly appreciated.**

 **I hope you like this chapter as there are some nice 'Feels' in this one. Don't get used to it though.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Part 19 - Eye of the Beholder Part 2**_

 _ **(The School Dragons – Part II)**_

 _ **Last Time Hiccup searched for his stuff with Twilight while Toothless duelled with Nightbreaker.**_

 _ **What will Hiccup and Twilight find?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

"Ugh!...Why do the gods hate me?"

That question had been Hiccup's most uttered phrase and personal mantra ever since he became aware of the all-powerful entities that guided, divined - and in his case ruthlessly dictated - the lives of mere helpless mortals. All Hiccup wanted to know was what he had done to deserve the ire of Odin, Thor, Freya, Frigg, Siff, Baldur or even Loki himself.

What heinous crime - asides from being born - had he committed to constantly be on the receiving end of their negativity? And what on Midgard could he possibly do to make amends to halt the seemingly endless run of misfortunes that had hounded his existence?

Hiccup knew it was pointless to ask such questions. His entire life on Berk had proved he didn't even deserve an answer. For if his own tribe didn't, why would the gods even care about a stunted, clumsy runt such as himself?

And yet, he _always dared to_ asked 'why' and always, he got nothing but examples of the Gods' and Berk's apparent loathing of him. And now it seemed, even running away from the island that didn't want him, had done nothing to soothe the sick whims of those who dwell in the golden halls of Asgard, as Midnight's words from the previous night still echoed in his mind.

' _ **You are not welcome!'**_

Such where the familiar thoughts that ran through Hiccup's head as he and Twilight finally arrived at the place where the dragoness assured him was the last place she saw the pack containing the sum total of Hiccup's earthly possessions.

The trek through the forest had taken well over half an hour and - though it posed no challenge for the graceful Nightfury - it involved a lot of stumbling, tripping as well as fighting off thick spikey pine branches on the boy's part, leaving him embarrassed, soiled and exhausted.

So when he did indeed find the large Wicker/Leather basket lying on the ground at the base of a tree, it actually did nothing to improve Hiccup's mood. For the fall from the sky had not been kind to the container, which was ripped and splintered, huge gashes torn in its side and the contents – all Hiccup owned - scattered everywhere on the ground.

"Great…just great….Well let's see what we've got to work with" the boy muttered joylessly as he stepped forward to salvage what he could, much to Twilight's dismay seeing him so unhappy. Yet the dragoness simply watched him silently as Hiccup started picking apart his belongings.

Things were not good.

Hiccups' extra food lay spoilt in mushy clumps staining his spare clothes which were also ripped, the tools he took from the forge were strewn about haphazardly, bent out of shape, caked in mud. His supplies of medicine seemed to have survived mostly intact but a few shattered clay jars informed Hiccup that not all of the precious salves and balms had been so lucky. The drinking skin that had kept him alive on their flight had burst, drenching the rest of his things, which led to Hiccup's most distressing discovery.

The combination of the ruptured water skin and the morning dew had led to several of Hiccup's journals being soaked through. One particular book had been damaged so badly, dozens of sodden pages lay everywhere, their contents blurred and faded beyond recognition. Only one or two books survived completely unscathed as they had been wrapped up in a large wolf-pelt Hiccup had taken in case the long winter nights got even colder. The pelt itself was damp but a day in the sun would fix that and it had done its job of protecting that which Hiccup treasured most.

As quickly as possible Hiccup trawled through his things muttering to himself quietly about how he would clean, dry out or repair his damaged supplies. After half an hour he had organized and catalogued all he owned, which unfortunately wasn't a lot. Once he got them back to his cave Hiccup figured he would have to plan how to replenish his meagre stock.

" **You don't have much, do you?"** Twilight finally asked quietly.

"Never did have much really" Hiccup intoned trying not to let the Nightfury see his distress, forcing a smile "But this is more than I need! Will Old lonesome mind if I bring my stuff back to his cave?"

" **I'm sure he will not object"** Twilight replied.

"Great!" Hiccup chirped as he started laying his things inside the wolf-pelt, "I'll just wrap everything up in this and carry it back. Perfect!"

A few minutes later all of Hiccup's things were stacked neatly on the underside of the wolf skin.

"Okay….now all I need is something to tie the pelt up with and….this should do…..!" Turning towards the ruins of his travelling pack, Hiccup unthreaded one of the long leather cords that held the lid together, with the intention of using it to secure his new makeshift sack. He was about to turn back when something caught his eye.

"What the?..." the boy asked as he stared at the tiny prick of light that emanated from underneath a nearby bush. It only took a moment for him to realise what it was. "Ah ha!" he yelped rushing forward and fighting off the foliage to retrieve the object. "I thought I'd lost it!" Hiccup said cheerily as his hands scraped away dead leaves and mud before yanking the object off the ground and spinning around to show his new dragon friend.

" **What is it Hiccup?"** Twilight asked enthusiastically, stepping closer, eager to see what could possibly brighten the boy's mood so much.

Her bright silver eyes however went from enthusiasm to outright horror as Hiccup turned back to her, holding in his small hands a positively vicious looking double-bladed axe! The risen sunlight glinted off the Viking runes carved into the blade and though it was still dirty, Twilight could see her shocked reflection along the gleaming metal surface.

"Twilight?" Hiccup's face appeared as he lowered the weapon slightly to see her. His face had a wild elated smile on it, a smile Twilight had not seen before. A smile of joy. A smile that Twilight assumed was that of a clever hunter cornering his prey. Instantly the silver-eyed Nightfury jumped back a few paces.

"Twilight?...What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, puzzled by the dragon's reaction, holding the axe to his side as he took a few paces forward. It was once he got a good look at Twilight's face, her eyes locked on the blade and her claws twitching in the dirt, did he realize exactly why she had recoiled from him.

Throwing out his hand in panic Hiccup shouted "No wait Twilight this isn't what you...Ohhhhpppfff!"

The rest of Hiccup's sentence ended as a heavy weight suddenly impacted on his shoulders sending him face first into the damp dirt. Claws dug into his shoulder-blades as loud growls erupted all around him. Turning his head as best he could from his prone position, Hiccup saw Twilight was still where she was, but on both his left and right was a new Nightfury, each baring their teeth and growling viciously at him. The pressure on his back intensified as a snout came to beside his right ear. He couldn't see who it was, but _that voice_ was instantly recognizable!

" **The thing about Nightfuries** _ **'heeso'**_ **…"** Midnight hissed snidely **"…is that you never have to worry about being attacked by the one in front of you…..The** _ **kill**_ **always comes from the sides!...From the two Nightfuries you never knew were there!"**

"No wait!" Hiccup wheezed as he struggled to breathe under Midnight's weight. The two larger Nightfuries stepped closer their shiny black talons ripping up small tuffs of earth as they approached him. "Please Twilight…..I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, I wouldn't kill a dragon I swear it's the truth!"

" **WAIT!"** Twilights voice rang out, her once lyrical tone replaced by a cold air of authority. At that one word the other Nightfuries paused and Hiccup struggled to heave a sigh of relief.

" **Look at me human"** was the next order that came, so Hiccup did his best to shift his head up to look Twilight in the eyes.

 _Those dazzling silver eyes!_

Hiccup felt entranced as he stared into the eyes of the dragoness that had exposed him last night in front of Deathwing. She had alerted the other Nightfuries to his secret without hesitation, showing her loyalty was still very much toward the Alpha Nightfury – as it should be, he figured – yet there was a strong feeling of understanding in her gaze.

The irises of Twilight's eyes shimmered and danced around narrowed pupils as she continued to look into Hiccup's pleading face. After a moment the luminous shimmering diminished and she pulled her head up to stand in a very regal posture.

" **Midnight, let him up,"** Twilight ordered gently.

" **What?!"** Midnight shrieked in anger **"No! You saw, he has a weapon; he was going to attack you! Besides, I'm not done having my fun!"**

" **He doesn't mean me any harm, I can see the truth in him"** Twilight retorted firmly.

" **Then you need your eyes checked sister!"** Midnight snapped back as she twisted her claws eliciting a wave of pain that made Hiccup's body shudder and his teeth grind. **"Father and I were right to be suspicious. He's going to chop us up with that axe unless we chop him up first. Scythe, Rumble! Help me finish him!"**

As the two male dragons took another wary step forward, Hiccup, frustrated at being nothing more than a plaything for the angry young Nightfury, took as deep a breath as he could and growled out through his pain "So are these two are helping you _escort_ me Twilight? Or did you just want to get me out of the way the first chance you got? So much for my life being important!"

The defeatist yet accusatory tone of Hiccup's words were not lost on any of the Nightfuries and Twilight was shocked that her honour was being called into to question by a human of all beings. She was going to reply, to refute the allegation, only to be interrupted again by her sister. Midnight was taking such pleasure in tormenting the poor boy, she only slightly relaxed her grip to speak, her voice oozing with sarcasm and disdain, **"Ha! You think we would let you be alone with our princess? Though she could kill you in an instant human,** _ **we**_ **won't give you the chance to harm her with your tricksy schemes and hurtful weapons, finish him!"**

The order from Midnight and the continued advance of Rumble and Scythe jolted Twilight from her shock.

At first she was scared that she had really been tricked by the human boy.

' _But her gaze of truth had never failed her before. Even looking into the boys eyes revealed no malicious intent. Only this past evening had he stood up to the King of the Nightfuries and debased himself in truthful supplication, begging for mercy. Something no human would ever do to a dragon. And yet Hiccup had. So why was she willing to let herself suspect, in this moment, that Hiccup had evil intentions? Why did she doubt him?'_

It was seeing the look of malevolence in Midnight's eyes that made her realise. The doubt did not come from the boy, it came from the small dragon on top of him. Twilight realised Midnight's own unassailable prejudice was infecting her. In that horrific moment she was not only failing in her vow to her brother Shadow to protect his human, but also she was failing in her task given to her by her Alpha and Father. She had never failed before and she would not fail now! And certainly not because of Midnight's childish anger.

It was something she would not stand for. Her thoughts and feelings were her own and no-one, not even herself would make her doubt them.

Breathing deep Twilight let out a ferocious roar, feeling her heart pulse loudly and her core igniting to thrum with the power of being an Alpha's child. The thrum radiated out and held everyone in place just as Scythe and Rumble were about to drop their heavy claws into Hiccup's struggling body.

" **I SAID NO!"**

Immediately Scythe and Rumble drew back several paces in the face of Twilight's overwhelming aura of power. Only Midnight held her place, yet her talons fully retracted, granting Hiccup some much needed relief only now having to deal with her weight still pinning him to the ground. Twilight's eyes didn't shimmer now, but blazed with power as her voice rolled out unwavering and imperious.

" **Father Deathwing, our lord and master has decreed, that he….AND HE ALONE….will make the decision regarding this human's fate. You will not kill him unless** _ **The Alpha himself**_ **gives the order. Until then, this child's life is protected. Any who break this decree will face the wrath of the Alpha's line! I am of the Alpha's line!**

 **I. am. The. Elder. Here!**

 **Do you understand?!"**

The air was heavy with the silence that followed punctuated by the loud, steady rhythm of Twilight's breathing. The two guard dragons had assumed a sitting posture with their heads bowed in deference to towards Twilight as the large dragoness stared sternly at her smaller counterpart, expecting a similar display of contrition. Eventually Midnight begrudgingly obliged.

" **I…..understand…..elder sister. Lucky** _ **'heeso'**_ **!** " Midnight grumbled as she lumbered off Hiccup's back allowing him to finally breathe freely and sit up properly, leaning his back against the tree as Twilight approached the axe that had fallen on the ground in all the commotion.

" **Scythe!"** Twilight barked, making the scarred male snap his head to attention, **"Take the axe and cast it into the sea so it cannot be used against us."**

"No don't!" Hiccup yelped desperately.

" **You said you didn't want to hurt us!"** Scythe retorted as he scooped the axe up in his jaws

"And I don't its just…..I made it….its…..all I have to show I can make things." Hiccup pleaded, his hands held out grasping nothing but air.

" **Wait,** _ **You**_ **made this?"** Twilight asked as she looked at the blade closely, giving it a few cursory sniffs, **"Impressive and…quite beautiful…..for a human weapon. Yet for your own safety I can't let you keep it!"**

"Twilight please It's….."

" **Hiccup…"** Twilight interrupted, her voice firm **"…..you can't be seen carrying such a weapon near any Nightfury on the Island.** This earned a slump and a defeated nod from the boy, but with a new thought a warmer tone broke into her voice, **"but I think I have a solution. Toothless…I mean Shadow, my brother trusts you as his friend?"**

Hiccup looked up and nodded again, full of anticipation at her tone.

" **So as his sister will you trust** _ **me**_ **? Would you let me give this axe to a dragon who I know will look after it? A dragon who will keep it safe, yet out of your reach?"**

"I guess so…..Okay…." Hiccup replied brows furrowed in confusion, scratching his head as he thought _'what kind of dragon would look after an axe?'_

" **Good!"** Twilight chirped cheerfully as she turned her attention back to the Nightfury currently holding the blade in his maw, **"Scythe, take the axe to Old Lonesome. Tell him not to get too attached as its owner may come for it soon."**

"And who is this old lonesome exactly?" Hiccup asked, his mind beginning to spin. He had heard the dragon's name mentioned last night and knew Toothless and him were dwelling in his former home. But that was all he knew.

' _Now it appeared the enigmatic dragon had an interest in Viking weaponry? Why would he out of all the Nightfuries on the Island be trusted with his axe? What was going on? Who was Old Lonesome really?'_

As if sensing his curiosity Midnight snarled again, breaking Hiccup from his thoughts, **"Old Lonesome is a freak!"** She hissed gleefully as she clung to the tree trunk above Hiccup's head, **"He likes to kill Vikings and take their weapons as trophies in which case I'll let him know who this axe belongs to so he can come and end your wretched life!"**

" **Midnight enough!"** Twilight roared with a snarl of her own before returning her warmer, reassuring gaze to Hiccup, **"Old Lonesome is just another Nightfury I am sure you will meet soon. You two actually have a lot in common!"**

"I take it no-one likes him then?" Hiccup drawled casting a glare up at Midnight, earning a disdainful growl.

" **No, he is much respected by our kind. It is just…..he is like you…he is…strong…yet he is…different."** Hiccup wasn't sure why Twilight was hesitating in describing the dragon, but decided to let his own fears rest for now behind his regular fall-back…..sarcasm.

"Oh And there was me thinking each and every one of you were exactly the same!...You being Nightfuries and all!"

At first Twilight said nothing, but slowly a light draconic laugh escaped her lips causing her body to shake with mirth and her eyes to flicker brightly in the rising sunlight. Both dragon and human laughed as they shared their humour. It was so infectious that the normally stoic Rumble allowed himself to smirk and despite keeping the axe locked in his jaws, Scythe even managed to chuckle.

This drew Hiccup's attention and he looked wryly at Twilight who was still laughing. But such things did not sit well with the one dragon that could be relied upon to spoil the moment.

" **Oh ha ha ha! Listen to the funny, filthy human!"** Midnight snorted mockingly, **"He tells a joke, a bad joke at that and suddenly all is right with the world? You make me sick human!"**

" **Hey it amused me!"** Rumble crooned back at the belligerent female, **"the human** _ **is**_ **amusing. Besides Old Lonesome has quite the sense of humour. Something you lack** _ **hatchling!"**_

" **Don't call me a hatchling Rumble!"** the small Nightfury angrily shrieked back, **"or I'll burn you so bad you won't have a scale left on your body!"**

" **Hmmmm, I'd like to see you try** _ **little one**_ **, now if you don't mind I will resume my post, Human, my lady",** the older dragon chuckled as he simply turned and climbed up a different tree, disappearing into the canopy, becoming practically invisible despite the sunshine. Midnight outraged at being upstaged, jumped down beside Hiccup - who was sniggering at her apparent impotence - and shoved him sideways before leering into his face, her electric blue eyes afire with rage.

" **Laugh all you want** _ **'heeso'**_ **but mark my words. I know daddy won't let you stay. Just you wait and see! Look at you, you can't survive here, you can't seriously expect to live with dragons in the wild! You are weak and aren't built for it. You need too many** _ **'things'**_ **to survive just like your barbaric ancestors. Even if you do stay, the other dragons won't accept you...you, you…Viking!"**

And at that Midnight spun on the spot and stalked away into the undergrowth stopping only to swat Hiccup's pile of supplies with her tail and chuckling as they were once more scattered on the ground.

"Ugh! the Gods must really hate me!" Hiccup groaned again.

" **Your 'Gods' do not hate you Human, just Midnight it seems"** Scythe growled awkwardly with the axe in his mouth before turning to leave himself, **"I will see you back at the caves my lady Twilight, no doubt Old Lonesome will keep me busy with many questions regarding our guest."**

"I think I'd prefer the God's hate if that's all the same!" Hiccup called out sarcastically to the dragon that had just stalked off with his second most valuable possession (after Toothless' tailfin of course). Turning back in defeat to Twilight he sighed at the prospect of Midnight being his first and greatest dragon enemy, "What's her problem with me anyway?" the human groaned.

" **Midnight is a very angry young Nightfury"** Twilight sighed in frustration **"she and others in the nest view Shadow's leaving as an unforgiveable betrayal because it hurt our father and mother so. I have tried for many years now to relieve and channel her anger, but sadly more remains than even I can handle. She only really listens to father but has let others poison her mind with their darker reasoning. Though she's never met him, Midnight has decided that Shadow is her enemy. She has followed Deathwing's example in his hatred of humans with their hollow promises and in turn she now blindly turns her wrath on you, the first human she has actually set eyes on."**

Although Hiccup appreciated the insight into the little Nightfury he couldn't help ask about Twilight's reference to his best friend that intrigued him so, "Why did Toothless leave?"

" **That is a question you would be wise to ask my brother"** Twilight replied morosely obviously burdened with difficult memories from the past as she looked at him curiously, **"Only he should tell you. It strikes me as odd that he has not."**

"Yeah it never really came up," Hiccup replied sadly, "I was so focused on getting him back home, it didn't seem important why he left and…..I was too worried about leaving my own...I…..I mean….without my fam…um..I mean…..if they had caught us they would have…"

Twilight felt a wave of uncertainty and remorse roll off Hiccup as he trailed off, absentmindedly rubbing a faded bruise on his head. Obviously talking about his own reasons for leaving was quite painful too. Something the two beings had in common. Desperate to lighten the mood again, for she still had more to learn, Twilight was nearly at a loss on how to proceed with the awkward child. Darting her gaze to the ground she scanned the belongings of the boy and instantly found something that piqued her curiosity.

" **Hiccup?...What are these?"**

"Huh?" Hiccup turned to see Twilight nosing at one of the journals that had been jarred open by Midnight's aggressive departure. On the page was a sketch Hiccup had drawn of a bird resting in a tree many years ago. He carefully approached the dragoness who was cocking her head at various angles, trying fruitlessly to turn the page with her snout. Her inability amused Hiccup and made him realise that maybe being a weak human with tiny hands and opposable thumbs may not be such a bad thing after all. Yet he didn't want to embarrass himself any further in front of the Nightfury by letting her see his imperfect scrawls.

"Oh there just some drawings I did of things back on Berk, its nothing really." Hiccup picked up the book and moved to put it back with the others when Twilight's paw came up on his arm holding him still. The dragoness' look was hard to read but she seemed hurt by being denied further inspection of the tome.

" **Show me more Hiccup, please",** Twilight intoned almost as if she was the one now begging.

Hiccup for some reason found he could not deny the dragoness' request and so came to stand beside her and began flicking through the pages, describing each picture, where he had drawn it and what he felt at the time. Twilight noted sadly that most of Hiccup's descriptions began with phrases such as _'when I was hiding from the others'_ or _'after dad shouted at me'_.

At first the pages contained beautiful landscapes, sunsets over the sea, animals at rest in the woods and distant images of people going about their daily lives. It struck Twilight that his perspective of the animals were all very close up while the humans of village where always drawn from a fair distance. It shocked the dragon, yet pleased her that she was gaining a better insight into the child's isolation without him knowing. The pictures then began to change in subject matter from the alien and cold Viking world to a world she knew intimately and that was the subject of Nightfuries, namely one Nightfury in particular….her brother Shadow or 'Toothless' as he claimed to be called now.

The pictures mostly involved Toothless himself during their time in the cove either at play or resting idly in a tree or by a lake while others were just his wide expressive eyes staring inquisitively out from the impenetrable shadows of a cave. Here and there technical drawings of the artificial tailfin Hiccup had designed and built filled entire pages, thus confirming Twilights suspicions all along. Her brother was now a cripple. Yet Twilight noticed that despite his apparent handicap, all of the pictures Hiccup had drawn showed her brother to be happy and content as if the loss of his natural tailfin was of no concern at all.

It didn't make sense!

' _What could possibly make Toothless seem so happy that he would not be distraught at the loss of a dragon's most prized ability of flight?_ '

It was then she realised the answer lay in the human boy who she had unknowingly begun leaning against to support him as he unconsciously leaned on her. Neither had noticed when it had happened but Hiccup continued on with his enthusiastic descriptions of his drawings as Twilight simply marvelled at the strange 'rightness' of the bodily contact she shared with this child of her supposed enemies and the ease with which Hiccup seemed to accept what was normally a strictly dragon only gesture.

' _Did such 'rightness' exist with all humans now or just this one that Shadow had brought home with him? Had they all changed this much since she last flew among them?_ '

Twilight was uncertain, but a fire lit in her core, telling her she would one day find out.

So deep in thought was she, Twilight barely noticed that Hiccup had finished talking and there existed nothing more in the journal he was holding but empty pages. Pages she realised, that held within them, infinite possibilities.

"You hate them don't you?" Hiccup muttered, shifting uneasily, breaking contact with her and hiding his eyes beneath the scruffy hair that overhung the front of his head. The boy's dejected body language spoke volumes and quickly stirred the entranced dragoness to life.

" **What? No Hiccup! They are really beautiful, truly they are! I've never such work before!"**

"Really?" Hiccup asked, a very dubious look on his face in the presence of the dragon's overly loud praise which even to Twilight, seemed to come across as false and insincere. The Nightfury quickly reigned in her features and looked at Hiccup dead in the eyes.

" **Hiccup, I apologize for being distracted"** she said evenly, **"your drawings are indeed wonderful, I have never seen such a side to my brother before, usually he is so serious so to see him like…** _ **this**_ **….is a bit overwhelming."**

"So you like them?" he asked with brightening eyes as if his whole world depended on her answer. Twilight could now see how so much of Hiccup depended on what others thought of him. His desperate need for acceptance and approval flowed from every pore. It warmed and worried Twilight in equal measure. For she knew the feats of wonder but also the darker lengths some beings would go to be called 'a member of the Isle of Night'."

" **Of course I like them my boy!"** Twilight chirped lyrically seeing Hiccup's smile widen, **"in fact I would have you do something for me!"**

"Sure! What?" Hiccup replied.

" **Would you do me the honour of drawing me?"** Twilight asked in her grand, authoritative tone that brooked no refusal, **"you have great skill and I would very much like to see what I look like on your parchment."**

The smile on Hiccup's face now matched that of when he had first found the axe, it was so wide with elation. Twilight smirked as Hiccup threw his arms around the dragon's neck shouting "of course!" and then began awkwardly shuffling and tripping around, trying to find one of his small drawing implements and looking for a place to draw. At least three or four times Hiccup picked and then ruled out several places in the vicinity. Finally he settled on a tree close by that had fallen over and was now sitting at a slight incline as it rested against its upright neighbour.

"Okay, okay this looks good…"Hiccup spoke as he nervously looked to Twilight "...so if you would…..you know…..take your place….and we'll…..we'll get started?"

Leaping on to the log with the preter-natural grace most-if-not-all Nightfuries possessed, Twilight settled herself and looked to where Hiccup had sat down close by against a different tree. He was crossed legged and holding his book close to his chest, a very focused look coming across his features.

' _A clever mask to hide his nerves'_ Twilight noticed as her gaze of truth alerted her to the slight twitch in the hand with which held his stick of charcoal.

But she could understand. For it was not every day that a human was commission to do a drawing by a Nightfury!

" **So** , **you are happy when you draw."** Twilight said, balancing her tone between question and statement.

"Yes, things are…simpler" Hiccup replied as his hand circled the page trying to figure out where he would start constructing the image before him," I see what matters most to the image, then try and capture what makes it, _it."_

" **A useful talent…capturing the truth of things,"** Twilight muttered knowingly, **"Unfortunately we dragons are not so artistically inclined."**

"Are you kidding?" Hiccup replied lifting his head from the still blank page smiling, "Toothless does a very flattery portrait of me when the muses move him! Give him a log and some mud and he'll make a picture of me the likes of which has never been seen. He's a real dragon artiste!"

" **I'm sure he is" Twilight retorted humorously, "but I doubt he is as good as you."**

"Oh! Don't let him hear you say that!" Hiccup replied in mock worry, "I don't need him getting all pouty and jealous on me."

" **Oh don't worry"** Twilight shot back a wry grin splitting her jaws, **"I'll make sure I say it when it is just us or he starts getting too big for his claws as the Alpha. He can be all high and mighty but then I'll say 'but you are not as good at drawing as Hiccup!' Ha ha ha ha!"**

"Ha ha ha…..Oh please stop!...I'm gonna mess this up!" Hiccup wheezed through his laughter, "I can't laugh and draw at the same time…..You'll..ha ha….end up looking like a Gronkle!

" **Mother and Father Spirit forbid!"** Twilight declared as she calmed herself down, yet still grinning, **"Very well, one frozen Nightfury coming right up!"**

Boy and dragon settled into a companionable silence after that and for the next few hours Hiccup feverishly sketched away, his eyes darting up for a second to take Twilight's form in, then back to the page. Hiccup became lost in his work and soon his only world was the one being born from the precious parchment and black charcoal in his hands.

However while Hiccup focused on the fictional dragon on his page, Twilight's incisive analytical mind was once again taking the boy apart piece by piece.

As Hiccup drew unawares, the female Nightfury took in the boy's features as he concentrated. With her gift, coupled with their interactions thus far and with the information Shadow had shared with her that morning about Hiccup's last day on Berk, she could see the wayward Viking boy had a roiling, raging hatred burning deeply within him; an untapped reservoir of righteous fury and vengeance even he didn't know he possessed yet. It lurked beneath the surface like a Whispering Death ready to break out and ensnare any who would provoke it.

The Nightfury frowned briefly as she assimilated what she saw but her smile returned when she realised that over and above that anger was a gentle and creative soul that just wished to be allowed to find his own place in the world, free of ridicule and rejection. Hiccup simply carried on working oblivious to Twilight's use of her gift and the dragon kept collecting as much information as she could for her report to Deathwing.

It was a brief fluttering of inconsequential wings and a tickling of her nostrils that broke Twilight from her task when she noticed a very large butterfly had rested on her nose. The dragon frowned and crossed her eyes to get a better look at the red and black insect, as it rested on her rigidly still form. Annoyed at the interloper Twilight silently slid her tongue out in order to kill the beautiful yet trespassing bug.

"Wait!" a rasping whisper stopped her.

Twilight noticed in her peripheral vision Hiccup had already discarded his first drawing and was frantically drawing a new one, trying to capture this moment. The look in his face startled even the dragon herself who was amazed how Hiccup's dazzling, emerald green eyes danced up and down from subject to page with even more ferocity than before. His eyes were amazingly green, devouring the scene in order to preserve it along with a goofy awestruck smile that marvelled at the wonder he saw. Every now and then Hiccup would emit a small giggle as his hands danced across the page beneath him while the dragoness became more fascinated with her own subject of study.

Twilight could have sworn she was looking into Shadow's or even Deathwing's green-gage eyes, such was their power. Already she had learnt more about this child than she thought possible and saw an inkling into why her brother cared so much about him.

However, the fascinating moment passed all too quickly as the butterfly startled by the breath from Twilight's nostrils began to flutter away.

Hiccup seemed sad to see the creature fly off but his sadness was immediately replaced by shocked disgust as Twilight's large tongue flicked out, grabbed the butterfly and sucked it between her large jaws with a sickening crunch and slurp.

" **The red ones are extremely tasty!"** Twilight chirped, seemingly oblivious to his shock before she stared at him, **"What's wrong?"**

At first Hiccup wasn't sure what to think before he remembered.

Twilight was a Nightfury and at the top of the food chain. Every creature, no matter how fierce or beautiful was fair game for the dragons. Quickly Hiccup recovered.

"N-n-n-n-nothing", he stuttered "I just thought dragons only ate fish and meat, not bugs."

" **Usually we do,"** Twilight intoned matter-of-factly, **"But the bugs add a certain** _ **spice**_ **and are filled with nutrients. There are some dragons that can live for years on them if no other major food sources are available. We dragons sometimes have to do what we must to survive."**

Do what we must to survive.

That phrase resonated with Hiccup as he took in his current situation. He began thinking what he would do survive. How far would _he_ be willing to go remain here? What would he _sacrifice?_ How far would he _debase himself_ if it meant staying with Toothless? The answer should have been simple but Hiccup was a stranger in a strange land and even his mighty imagination couldn't quite anticipate anything the dragons might come up with.

" **Well, is it done?"**

Twilight's enthusiastic question broke Hiccup from his reverie, but before he could answer he looked up to see the female's face right in front of him. Her eyes were rounded and her tail was wagging with anticipation to see the results of Hiccup's work.

"It's not really my best work, but I think it's ok?" Hiccup said as he tentatively held up the first drawing for the Nightfury to inspect. Twilight sniffed the parchment for a moment before she focused on the drawing itself and when she did, her silver eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

There in the centre of page was _her_.

She was sitting on the log and staring not straight out of the page but off into the distance to the left. Her eyes were filled with wonder and despite it just being black charcoal, Twilight could see the energy in her silver orbs captured perfectly on the parchment. Though her gaze was one of contemplation, her neck was straight; her body was held with a very formal, royal-like dignity. Twilight followed the lines that depicted her lithe, curvaceous form accentuated by the rounded muscles and membranes that composed her wings as they hung relaxed by her side. Hiccup had shaded her wings so delicately they looked more like a fine rare fabric rather than the heavy leather like substance it really was. The lines all seemed to join up as Twilight's tail was shown to hang deftly off the tree she was sitting on, both tail fins closed and relaxed. The whole picture of her had been framed by the trees around her and in the sky, birds and clouds filled out the background beautifully. On closer inspection another Nightfury could just be made out lounging on a branch in the far distance, its form blending seamlessly into the foliage around it. Rumble it appeared, had been _rumbled_.

Truly it was a work of art. Certainly worthy of a king's daughter!

" **Hiccup!"** Twilight breathlessly exclaimed **, "this is amazing!"**

"Really?" Hiccup asked his smile widening at the Nightfury's praise.

" **YES, Truly boy! Completely amazing…This is…..this is what I look like?"**

"Well it the best I can do but yes….so you like it?" Hiccup's continuing need for reassurance kept informing Twilight just how humble he was.

" **Of course I do, I love it!"** she purred warmly **.**

"Would you like it then?"

" **What?"** Twilight cocked her head in confusion **.**

"You….you can keep it if you like…..as a thank-you for helping me find my things and not letting Scythe or Midnight slice me up."

" **But….what would I do with it?"**

"Well you could hang it on the wall of your cave maybe?"

" **Well I…You are certain?"**

"That's what I'm going to do with this one!" Hiccup said as he set down the first picture to replace it with the drawing he had just finished. Again Twilight sniffed the paper before bringing her enhanced vision to bare on the image before her.

If the first drawing impressed on the viewer Twilight's strength and dignity, then the second one accentuated her truly inquisitive nature. Twilight had no idea how the boy did it, but he had managed to capture the moment that she had first noticed the butterfly on her face. It was a close up that showed her crossed-eyed curious face staring intensely at the butterfly that sat ignorant on her nose. The little scene not only captured the sheer power of the Nightfury but also her gentleness and the playfulness of her in the serene smirk Hiccup had worked into the drawing. It was as if Hiccup had caught the too infinitely different creatures from opposite ends of the food chain at peace, even at play with each other.

Twilight's dragon-heart melted at seeing herself in such a light. She had never seen herself portrayed in such a way as she had always had to keep her place as the Alpha's upright and respectable daughter. This boy, this _human_ had in this second picture, displayed more of her true self than she had been allowed to show any dragon outside of her nest family and her guards.

"Do you like this one?" Hiccup asked again seeing the Dragoness' unusual expression as she began to move, "Wait Twilight? What are you doing?"

Twilight didn't stop encroaching into Hiccup's personal space. She nudged the drawing aside and pushed her head fully into Hiccup's chest. The boy, frozen at first, recognised the gesture and returned the hug as Twilight's purring vibrated throughout his entire being.

" **Hiccup, There is only one thing I can say to adequately thank you for such a beautiful thing!"** Twilight intoned, desperately trying hard not to break down in tears.

"And…uh…what's that?" Hiccup asked uncertain whether he would like the words or not.

He most definitely did not. For there were no words and Hiccup's vision was temporarily blinded as the large flat pink tongue of the Nightfury ran sloppily over his face.

"EWWWWWWW!" Hiccup recoiled from the dragon lick he received. The saliva was all over his face and hair and was already soaking into is tunic. "Why would you do tha aahhhhhhhh!" Another big slobbery assault struck his face, followed by a wildly loud draconic laugh coming from the trees somewhere beyond. Apparently Rumble found this little exchange so hilarious he didn't care about revealing his position anymore.

Hiccup wanted to be mad but the gleeful sincere smile on Twilight's face stopped any further ideas of complaint and he simply began to laugh. Then Twilight began to laugh. Then both boy and dragon laughed louder and louder, bordering on hysterics in the late afternoon sun.

"I'm gonna have a hell of time trying to wash this out!" Hiccup yelled as he tried to bring his laughter under control.

" **I'm sure you will human…come! Let us return. I'm sure Shadow will be returning soon!"** Twilight declared through her own grunting and growling laughter.

"Okay! And I could help you hang your drawing if you like?" Hiccup said as he began eagerly packing his things up in the wolf skin and tying the sack up into a neat bundle.

" **I would be honoured,"** Twilight replied **, "We will deal with it tomorrow. For now, let us go!"**

"Sure!"

And so the boy and dragon made their way back to his temporary home. Both of them learning new things about the other and finding something to bond over. Hiccup was wary of his new enemy but that mattered little next to the prospect of making a new, more powerful, more understanding friend.

Hiccup would have a lot to tell Toothless and Twilight would have a lot to tell Deathwing.

For both the boy and the dragoness, it had been an interesting day.

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **A different pair and a different interaction. There are some mirrored ideas going on here as with the previous entry so I hope you enjoyed it. Twilight really does get to shine in this chapter and we are starting to see a bit of support gathering for Hiccup. However there is more than one enemy out there that has it in for our luckless Viking hero.**

 **The next chapter will conclude this busy day to see Toothless and Hiccup reunite only to find not all is well in the home of the boy and the Nightfury.**

 **As always, questions, reviews, comments, P.M.s are greatly appreciated as they are the fuel which drive the fire.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	20. New Home Truths

**Greetings all!**

 **Back for another update. hope you are having a fun December and the run up to Christmas isn't too mad for you. I'm hoping to get one more chapter up this year, possibly two depending on my schedule so I look forward to getting that done.**

 **this chapter was a bit strange in like the others it took on a life of it's own but it has gone in different direction with bits that came out of nowhere and I had to go through two or three versions before I ended up with this. there is a lot of information contained in this chapter and I hope it doesn't just come across as exposition or info-dumping but I figured it would nice to elaborate on certain things regarding the Nightfuries and their ways.**

 **And also this sparks the beginning of a nasty campaign against Hiccup. things are no going to go well for a while so hold on tight.**

 **As always reviews comments, ideas and P.M.s are all welcome.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 _ **The Return Of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 20 – New Home Truths**_

 _ **(The school of Dragon – part III)**_

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup recovered his possessions.**_

 _ **Midnight and two other Nightfuries threatened Hiccup only for Twilight to use her ability of being an Alpha's daughter to stand up for him and protect him.**_

 _ **After having his axe taken away, Hiccup spent time drawing and getting to know Twilight who in turn learnt more about him using her gift.**_

 _ **Now they are heading back to the Nightfury nest but Twilight has other plans for Hiccup.**_

 _ **Read on and find out what they are!**_

* * *

 **Hiccup POV**

The walk back to his 'temporary' home took a lot longer than Hiccup remembered. As he trudged along, his makeshift pack weighing him down, slowing his pace even further, the young Viking figured that being tired and unfamiliar with the lay of the land was why he felt so lost. In every sense of the word.

He'd spent a very nice day drawing Twilight and was extremely hopeful at the common ground he seemed to find with the Alpha's daughter. Occasionally he would ask about a particular bird or plant he had never seen before and his dragon guide would give a brief description of it, mostly finishing with how delicious they tasted. Hiccup marvelled at it all. Yet as the Dragoness led him through the tightly packed Darkwood trees, Hiccup's thoughts bounced between awe at the contents of the beautiful landscape and trepidation that he would never get a chance to fully immerse himself in all it had to offer.

 _For that depended entirely on whether Deathwing allowed him to stay or not._

That particular thought served as such a distraction Hiccup failed to notice that he was being led astray by the female Nightfury.

Hiccup began to suspect something was wrong when he realised Twilight was leading him up-hill, when he knew the journey they took that morning had been relatively flat. His suspicion was confirmed when the lush trees gave way to bare rock and he got a real sense of altitude. Twilight had in fact not led him back to his cave, but to an entirely different area of the Nightfuries' habitat!

His 'guide' who had grown steadily quieter, approached what looked like the top of a cliff ahead of them, halted, fanned out her wings and simply stared out into the distance, her look unreadable by the boy several yards behind her.

Eventually the silence became too much and Hiccup spoke as quietly as he dared to the Dragoness in front of him.

"uh Twilight?…. Why are we going back this way?"

The female Nightfury looked over her shoulder to regard him, a playful glint in her sparkling silvery eye.

" **I said I would show you around the island boy and that includes where we live. Come forth and see!"**

Setting down his pack Hiccup cautiously moved forward to stand beside the Nightfury but couldn't see much because of her wings.

" **Last night you did not receive a particularly warm reception",** Twilight intoned.

"It wasn't the best I've been treated…..but it certainly wasn't the worst!" Hiccup drawled rubbing the fading bruises he had received from Astrid.

" **Well then let me officially say, Welcome to the Isle of night!"** the Nightfury barked grandly.

With that Twilight quickly retracted her wings and as he stepped to the edge of the cliff the Viking boy gasped at what he saw. There below and all around was the Nightfuries' home. The nest. The only time Hiccup had seen it was in the dying light of the previous evening and even then he had been too concerned with the other Nightfuries trying to kill him, followed by Deathwing's interrogation. In such dire circumstances it gave the area a very desolate and forbidding feel.

But now in the bright afternoon light, Hiccup saw just how amazing the area was. From his vantage point Hiccup saw that in some places the rocky terrain was almost black and had long smooth contours rather than the spiked areas he had observed previously. Many caves could be seen in the huge formations of stone that looked like they have been carved by a river that once flowed through the landscape. Hiccups' green eyes followed the swirling patterns of ore deposits in the rock and down the naturally carved pathways that led past many other dwellings, leading his gaze out towards to the sea where thousands of hexagonal stone pillars bunched together as they formed a causeway that plunged into the calm ocean.

Here and there the odd Nightfury could be seen, sleeping on an exposed ledge or basking peacefully in the sun, completely oblivious to Hiccup and Twilight's presence, while one cave high off the ground had a long black tail lazily hanging out of the opening while the rest of its interior was darkened in shadow. And all the while a low humming hung in the air. It was as if the very rocks themselves were making a contented droning sound and it made Hiccup's skin crawl for some reason as it played about his ears while looked to the east.

Spiked monoliths of stone rose up in the middle distance and Hiccup could even make out the edge of the meeting area he had been in last night, peeking out from behind them. From this new perspective Hiccup's sense of direction was thrown off so he couldn't even tell where his and Toothless' cave was in the maze of crevices and gullies that crisscrossed the land. He knew the cave was near the forest's edge and so he raised his eyes to where the green band of dense foliage met the dark stone and guessed it was somewhere over there. Raising his eyes a little further he took in the rest of the island.

Off on the horizon Hiccup could see the greenery of the seemingly eternal forest and the small grouping of snow-capped mountains that stood to the far north. It was a truly awe-inspiring sight and despite the unnerving background noise, it made Hiccup smile like a fool that so much beautiful potential lay spread out before him. So much life thrived in a place shrouded in such mystery. Hiccup had to fight hard the urge to rip out his notebook and sketch the scene before him but figured now was not the time as Twilight turned her head to address him.

" **A beautiful sight is it not?"** She crooned making Hiccup remember the last time a Nightfury had uttered those words.

 _They were the very first words Toothless had actually 'spoken' to him as he gazed on the beauty of a different island._

It was a statement that encapsulated the utter joy of freedom he felt at finally being able to live a life on his own terms and yet Hiccup couldn't enjoy the feeling too much. For that island had only been a temporary home. A resting place until they moved on. It made Hiccup think deeper and his smile completely fade away.

 _Was The Isle of Night going to be just another resting place until he was forced to leave? Would he ever find an island that he could just live on without the constant fear of persecution or being uprooted again?_

" **It's said a great Fire-worm lived here"** Twilight whispered, breaking Hiccup from his thoughts **, "That she lived in a huge volcano that spewed rivers of fire and death, scorching the earth and decimating the land! Many dragons and animals perished in her wake"**

Hiccup turned, fascinated to meet Twilight's gaze as she enthusiastically hissed at him. **"Then one day the Fire-worm realised she had grown so big and so powerful that she wished to atone for the destruction she caused! So she stoked the fires of the earth so ferociously that the entire volcano exploded, sundering her home to ruins as an ocean of lava coursed through the island before pouring into the sea!"**

"That…that really happened?" Hiccup asked amazed at the tale **.**

" **Indeed boy!"** Twilight grinned **. "The lava cooled and hardened. The great Fire-worm's corpse fertilized the ground, giving life to land once more!"** The dragon leaned her head right in to Hiccup's face, her voice no more than a fiery, intense whisper **, "Some even say that spirit of Soulfire the Wyrm still haunts the land, her heat and her power keeping the ground warm deep underground! That was before we Nightfuries discovered this place, long before it was The Isle of Night!"**

" **How do you know that?"** Hiccup asked as Twilight pulled her head back a satisfied smirk on her face.

" **It's a story all dragons know!"** Twilight crooned **, "It was passed down from our ancestors and is retold to every hatchling soon after their birth. It teaches us of the great cycle of existence; Of how the sacrifice of one life can ensure the survival of many others. Without the death of Soulfire, we would not be here at all!"**

" **Why are you telling me this?"** Hiccup asked, knowing this was an important piece of dragon lore that was most probably not meant for the ears of a human. Though he felt honoured to be told the story, he couldn't help but feel he was violating some ancient law.

Twilight dipped her head and looked over the edge of the cliff at the nest below them. She smiled wistfully as she spoke, **"You shared something beautiful of yourself with me to-day, I believe it is only fair to share something equally beautiful about us!"**

Before he knew what he was doing Hiccup extended his hand and placed it on Twilight's shoulder. He had never had any part of him or his talents referred to as _beautiful_ before and it touched him deeply that the dragon was willing to share such a sight and story with him in return. All the boy could utter in response was a strained "thank-you."

" **Come!"** Twilight chirped breaking the contact **, "I will return you to your cave so you may rest".**

And with that the Nightfury led Hiccup down the rocky path into the heart of the hardened lava flows past innumerable caves which the Nightfuries called their nest. Fascinated by the volcanic rock, Hiccup would at times drag his hand along the surface to get a feel for its texture, or try and stare at the embedded pockets of crystals that glinted in the sunlight as he passed them by. However the eerie quiet droning that dominated the harsh yet fascinating environment made Hiccup's heart quicken as he kept darting glances into the many dark crevices, fearful of being dragged into one of the caves and having Thor-knows-what done to him by any other hostile Nightfury that shared Midnight's suspicion and hatred of him.

" **Do not fear young one…"** Twilight crooned warmly snatching a glance over her shoulder at him, **"…most of my kin will not wake for a few hours yet. Besides they will not harm you while you are in the company of an Alpha line Nightfury!"** Twilight's proud declaration sparked the urge to ask a question that had surfaced in Hiccup's mind a while ago.

"Yeah about that….." The boy began, uncertain as how he would address the subject, "when you stopped Scythe and Rumble from skewering me….How…..How did you do that? Twilight didn't respond straight away but Hiccup wanted to know and so pressed on, "it was more than just a roar….I felt something…in the air like…like right now…that weird humming sound or something…..what is that?" Still Twilight kept walking and Hiccup kept following, his gaze now downcast feeling he had overstepped his mark. After a few minutes of silent walking the Dragoness halted and spoke, still not looking at Hiccup.

" **Within every Alpha burns what we call a** _ **'Yin'**_ **or 'core',"** She intoned reverently, her head high and posture very formal, **"it is the source of an Alpha's life energy, his soul, his magic. It is what makes him the Alpha for it elevates him to a level higher than any normal dragon. The core is what gives him the strength of will to lead his flock and shows that he is indeed worthy to lead. All dragons are compelled to recognize the Alpha and their authority. Without this core the flock would be leaderless, prone to chaos and ultimately destruction from without and within!"**

"Wow!...that's….wow!" was all Hiccup could say, so stunned he was by Twilight's revelation as it added to what Toothless told him regarding the Queen Dragon at the nest hidden beyond Helheim's Gate. Yet what he had witnessed earlier compelled him to ask more as he came around to look Twilight in the face.

"So because Deathwing has this….core….thing…..you have it as well?"

" **All of the Alpha's line possess it to minor degree!"** Twilight replied her gaze unshifting from the imperious posture she had adopted as she continued, **"But like our individual gifts, we cannot use it to the extent our father can. Only the one true Alpha can use the power to its fullest at any one time, unless they are challenged by another and defeated. It is the burden our family bears, for not all dragons are blessed with such a gift.**

"So Toothless has a core too?"Hiccup asked enthusiastically, his imagination running wild as to what other strange powers his friend possessed.

" **Indeed he does, his is the greatest of us. For he is the firstborn, he is the elder!"** Twilight declared triumphantly, **"When he came of age His core was ignited by Deathwing to ensure the succession of our line. And his core glowed bright and steady and strong!"** Hiccup smiled at this but it faded as he saw Twilight's attitude change as she dipped her head and groaned sadly, **"But now that he has returned, I can barely see it. We did not see his core burning when he tried to order us aside last night. It troubles me that it is so diminished. Something restrains it, stifles it. I fear he may lose his core forever and thus his birth right!"**

"So what? Will one of you guys be made Alpha instead? Will Toothless have to leave?" Hiccup asked, worried that his friend might be in danger of losing his new-found home and family.

" **Of course not!"** Twilight snapped her head up as if deeply offended by Hiccup's suggestion **, "We are not without our ways to help him. Father has it within his power, the strength of will to re-ignite my brother's core. Shadow will be made the Alpha in waiting once more, the successor of our race! It is his destiny! Lord Deathwing wills it, so it will be done. Nothing can alter the Alpha's command!"**

Taken aback by the outburst Hiccup couldn't help but be shocked by Twilight's blind loyalty to Deathwing and concern that Toothless didn't seem to have a choice in his future. The way Toothless described the Alpha Queen of the Helheim's Gate nest was as a being that was more primal and animalistic, completely devoid of higher intelligence or mercy. But here amongst the Nightfuries, things seemed a lot more complicated and frightening. It disturbed and angered Hiccup that such absolute rule existed amongst what seemed to be more advanced dragons.

"So even if you don't agree with something Deathwing does, he can just force you to obey him? And doesn't Toothless get a say in his future? It doesn't sound very fair!" the Viking boy countered.

" **My father is as fair to others as the world has been to us!"** Twilight retorted bitterly pulling her head back up to look down on the small Viking teen, **"We have learned, painfully, how fickle this world can be. Lord Deathwing does what he must so we can survive, even if it means he has to make hard choices for the greater good. It is his burden. The Alpha protects them all. We live under his protection and his if necessary, his command!"**

"But what about?!..." Hiccup shouted before being interrupted by Twilight again.

" **Lord Deathwing commands it! So…It…Will…Be…Done!" the Nightfury rumbled.**

At those words the low thrumming Hiccup heard began to resound louder in his ears. At first He couldn't understand why but he felt completely powerless in the face of the Nightfury's words. He then found his lips moving against his conscious thought as words just spilled from his lips.

"So it will be done."

They were spoken with such certainty and will that Hiccup felt compelled to unquestioningly accept them as his own belief. Startled, Hiccup took another step back eyes wide in horror, his hands clamped over his mouth, realising he was more susceptible to the Alpha's command than he thought. Even more terrifying was the realisation that if the time came, Deathwing wouldn't have to forcibly remove Hiccup.

 **All he would have to do was simply** _ **tell**_ **him to leave and Hiccup would do so.**

It was a thought that sent chills up his spine so much so he felt cold in the face of the bright afternoon sunshine. A heavy silence fell between the Dragon and the human as they stared at one another, Hiccup desperately going over Twilight's words and Twilight shifting slightly on her claws, her tail swishing slightly back and forth. Though Deathwing seemed all powerful and tyrannical, Hiccup reluctantly reasoned that the massive Alpha dragon, like any Viking chief, had many responsibilities weighting on even his imposing shoulders. He was again awed and terrified at the ramifications of the Nightfuries' power and in face of it, he felt like nothing. Yet more than that he felt bad in challenging Twilight and the way the Nightfuries did things. He was walking a thin line and was in danger of ruining the good relationship he built with the Dragoness in front of him. Hiccup quickly lowered his hands and opened his mouth to apologize for speaking ill of his host but the Dragoness beat him to it.

" **I'm sorry Hiccup!"** Twilight said lowering her head slightly to look at him fully, **"I didn't mean to be so…..** _ **forceful**_ **…but you must realize…We are the Nightfuries!…..we wish only to survive."**

"You're right, I'm sorry too. But how I can hear this core thing?" Hiccup asked, "I'm not dragon, heck I'm barely a Viking!"

Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, **"I would guess when my brother used his magic to let you understand Dragoneese, he brought you into a type of 'harmony' with our family's core magic! It must be why you can hear it and why you seem responsive to it as well."**

"Wow!….well that's….disturbing…"Hiccup drawled realising Twilight had reached the same conclusion as he did, "Soooooo….we should really head back to the cave…"Hiccup ventured trying to move on from the intense exchange they had just shared, gesturing to his pack, "…I'm getting pretty tired and I would like to put my stuff away before my arms fall off!"

Twilight cocked her head slightly before shrugging her shoulders and resuming her pace, intoning simply **"Of course Hiccup"** keeping her thoughts to herself. She would have a lot to talk about with her father and brother later.

If the walk from the forest was painful for Hiccup, then the last of walk to the cave was torturous. Burdened now with yet another side to Twilight, the boy was confused as to where he now stood, not only with the enigmatic Dragoness but with the Nightfuries in general. Was he their guest, their prisoner or…..most frighteningly their pawn?

They passed uneventfully by more caves filled the snores and grunts of resting dragons, the only exception being when a male Nightfury was shoved unceremoniously out into the open and a faint voice from within grumbled indistinctly about _**"Respect!"**_ and _**"Peace!"**_ and _**"Death!".**_ Hiccup had to dodge out of the way as the apparently scolded dragon scrambled up the sheer cliff face and disappeared into the shadows above them. Twilight said nothing to explain the bizarre scenario so Hiccup thought better than to question it himself. He had enough to worry about.

Sensing his unease as Twilight spoke again.

" **I apologize again for my firmness with you Hiccup",** the Nightfury stated apologetically **"truly you are a fascinating human and I thank you from my core that you returned Shadow to us. However though I bear you no ill will and would love to get to know you more, if my father deems it that your destiny lies elsewhere, then I will trust in his judgement."**

"I….I understand Twilight. Thanks…I guess." Hiccup replied sorrowfully the weight of his pack and his troubles becoming nearly unbearable.

" **No guessing about it human!"** The Nightfury barked out more cheerfully, hoping to help the boy's mood, **"I will argue your case to my father. There is much more I wish to learn about you and your kind. That will only happen if you are allowed to remain with us. And Shadow would be most unhappy if he lost you, judging from his display last night!"**

"Yeah, Toothless is really a good friend!" Hiccup spoke warmly, his spirits slightly lifted by the Nightfury's admission as they rounded a familiar corner to approach the mouth of their cave.

" **Indeed….well here we….."**

' _ **THADOOM!'**_

The female Nightfury pounced back and instantly wrapped her wings around hiccup sheltering him from the shower of rocks and debris that exploded from the cave he and Toothless had been staying in.

"By the Gods! What was…."

' _ **THADOOM!'**_

Once again Hiccup had to duck back down as a second explosion rocked the cave followed by the noise of angry snarling and the impacting of claws on rock. Terrified Hiccup clutched his bundle tightly to his chest and cowered under the Twilight's wings. But his fear of the wild commotion in the cave was immediately replaced by the sudden realisation of what else was in the cave.

"Oh no!….Toothless' saddle!"

Forcing his way through Twilight's wings, Hiccup darted forward and through coughs and splutters, screamed into the dust filled cave.

"Please stop! You're going to destroy the tailfin! **STOP NOW PLEASE!"**

The rough grinding of small rocks underfoot matched with the heavy thuds of claws coming towards Hiccup made the Viking boy stiffen with anticipation. He coughed and choked in the face of the dust cloud, wondering what fresh Helheim he was about to encounter now.

Out of the cloud loomed the head of a new Nightfury which scrutinized Hiccup very closely. The piercing yellow eyes of this new dragon travelled all over Hiccup's form while faint spectrums of light shimmered off the shiny scales of the beast's jet black hide. Hiccup though scared of this new dragon, simply panted, his concern for Toothless' flight apparatus over-riding his need for personal survival or his awareness of Twilight standing behind him leaning her chest against his back to support him.

The yellow-eyed Nightfury looked up to lock eyes with Twilight who stared back with equal intensity. For a moment the two dragons said nothing. They just looked at each other. The new Nightfury then dipped his head and looked bemused at Hiccup.

" **Huh"** the male sounding voice snorted **"Viking."**

And with that, the large Nightfury turned and charged down the path a few feet before vaulting into the air to dart away, spreading more dust and debris in the wake of his departure. Hiccup didn't get a good look, but he could have sworn there was something very 'off' with the Nightfury. Something in the way it moved or the way the sunlight reflected off its body. Hiccup hoped he would get a chance to figure out what. But that was a question for another time. Bewildered and confused Hiccup broke his gaze from the now empty sky and darted into the cave praying to all the Gods he knew that the saddle and prosthetic that gave Toothless his flight was undamaged. With a little help from Twilight flapping her wings to clear the air, Hiccup found the leather and metal contraption completely unscathed which made him smile.

His smile then turned to curiosity as he examined the damage the Nightfury had wrought.

"What in the name of Thor?" he asked aloud as he beheld the many gouges and holes that had been blown in the once bare and flat stone wall that made up the rear of the cave. Stepping past rocks of all shapes and sizes, Hiccup found some of the holes were the size of his hand while others where big enough to fit his whole body.

" **Ha ha ha ha!"** the familiar lyrical laugh of Twilight brought his attention back to her as she stood just inside the cave entrance.

"What's so funny?" the bewildered boy asked.

" **It seems that he has given you somewhere to put your things other than the floor!"** Twilight grunted in-between her laughter, **"He must definitely accept your presence in his old home."**

"You mean?...that was…..?"

" **Yes Hiccup that was Old Lonesome!"** Twilight chuckled, a wry smile on her face, **"Looks like he wanted to see you for himself. I knew that axe would get his attention! I'm sure he'll want to break words with you soon enough now!"**

Hiccup looked to his bundle then back to the wall riddled with holes that would accommodate all he owned and more, then back to the bundle again as he let a small hopeful smile tug on his lips before uttering a breathy "wow!" And his desire to meet the dragon he knew now possessed his axe and had seemingly given him a welcoming gift increased tenfold.

Yes, Hiccup would meet this 'Old Lonesome'.

But first he had to properly settle in.

It didn't take long to unpack his things and tidy up the debris Old Lonesome had left in the cave. During his task Twilight had excused herself saying she had to take care of some other business and Toothless would return soon. Hiccup, grateful for the peace and quiet placed all of his things (clothes, books, tools, medicines, furs and several other items) into the various holes that had been carved by the strange Nightfury and when he took a step back to admire his handiwork, he was quite pleased at how homey the cave now looked. There was a ledge big enough to store Toothless' saddle, tailfin prosthetic and Hiccup had even been able to construct a small yet sturdy fire pit out the scattered rocks. All in all he was proud of his work.

"You know this might work!" the hopeful boy said to himself as he stood, hands on his hips admiring the fruits of his labour.

" **I thought I told you not to get comfortable human!"**

It was _that voice_ …..again. Hiccup didn't want to turn round to face _her_ but figured he'd at least try and be civil and if that failed to work, there was always his sarcasm.

"Midnight, Hello!" Hiccup sweetly declared through an insincere toothy grin, "Two visits in one day! And how's my favourite Nightfury!?"

" **I heard what my sister told you about Shadow being the next Alpha!"** the little Nightfury snarked back.

"So you were still following me after Twilight ordered you to leave and you obviously have a problem with Toothless' destiny!" Hiccup stated, thinking he could use what he knew of Twilight's authority to scare the annoying little dragon off.

" **Oh no I have no problem!"** Midnight crooned in mock hurt. **"I just think you should know exactly what that means!"** she continued unfazed by Hiccup as she strode past him and started aggressively poking Toothless' flight gear with her nose and claws.

"Don't touch that!" Hiccup said urgently, concern evident in his voice, "Toothless needs that to fly!"

" **Oh!"** Midnight moved off seemingly bored with the leather and metal construct and nosed around the other holes in the wall and what lay in them. **"Well, for the time being anyway!"** she muttered.

"What?" Hiccup's confused tone make Midnight's smile widen as she still had her back to him. Quickly schooling her features she turned to look at Hiccup equally confused

" **You mean my brother didn't tell you? Shadow really must not trust you at all!"** Midnight stated like she was actually concerned for him

"What?..." Hiccup stuttered desperately trying to figure out what game Midnight was playing now, "Of course…he does trust me….and I trust him!"

" **Then you are both fools!"** Midnight uttered nonchalantly as she stalked around the stone walled fire-pit Hiccup had built.

"Why?" Hiccup asked, trying hard not to provoke the dragon into attacking him or possibly worse use her Alpha ability on him if she even possessed it.

" **Because once my brother becomes the Alpha in waiting again he won't have time for you anymore!"** Midnight hissed as she prowled towards him backing Hiccup against the wall, **"He's going to so devoted to his role ensuring our race's survival that he won't be able to deal with the burden you have placed on him. Shadow will wish he never brought you here because he'll be so busy fighting your battles for you and making up for your failings because you can't survive here!"**

Hiccup tried to eyeball Midnight back, but her intense stare and glinting fangs forced him to look over her shoulder as he spoke trying to quell his rising nerves, "You would be surprised what Toothless and I can survive. We trust each other, we live together and we fly together.

" **Oh and that is where you are wrong!"** Midnight crooned with a wicked smile, **"you see,** _ **heeso**_ **….what my sister neglected to mention was that when Deathwing re-ignites my brother's core to be the Alpha in waiting…..he and the other healer Nightfuries will use their magic…"** Midnight paused and leaned to whisper in Hiccup's ear **"….to restore my brothers ability to fly!"**

"You're lying!" Hiccup gasped back failing to control a few errand tears that escaped his eyes.

" **Am I?"** Midnight chuckled as she leaned back and let Hiccup slide down the wall so he sat on the floor, his back still pinned against it **, "has my brother told you so much about us that you can say that for certain? Yet I know from my brother's own lips that such things are possible.**

Hiccup didn't respond, Midnight's words were making him shut down as he tried desperately to get a grip on his emotions and think of why he never asked his friend such questions or why Toothless never volunteered the information in the first place. But still the female Nightfury did not let up as she saw the doubt all over his face now.

" **Hmmm I thought not. Obviously Shadow does not trust you with even the most basic information of our kind. When he is restored, he will fly by himself and he will lead by himself and he will no longer have any use for you! You will be nothing but a discarded plaything, an unwanted pet, a passing phase and Shadow will take his rightful place in the world without you dragging him down!"**

Hiccup couldn't think about Toothless so he thought of the only other dragon he knew that might help him, "Twilight!" he rasped out, "Twilight doesn't seem to think so, she likes me….."

" **My sister is a hopeless optimist!..."** Midnight interrupted as she came close again gently placing her small taloned paw on Hiccup's chest, **"…She wouldn't wish to upset your weak heart! But I will not sweeten such hard truths for those who are not worthy. Do you really think Shadow could be the Alpha without the full function of his flight? And do you really think we, his family, would not be able to fix it?! Shadow won't be able to fulfil his destiny if you are here to drag him down with your clumsy contraptions!"**

"So what do you suggest I do Midnight!" Hiccup snapped back angrily, shoving the paw off his chest, making her dance back a few steps. He didn't get up as he was still pinned under her baleful glare as she paced back and forth considering her answer.

" **You seem like a smart human** _ **heeso!**_ **You figure it out! Why do you think my sister told you the legend of Soulfire the Wyrm? What lesson did it teach you?"** she snidely warbled at him **;**

Hiccup ran his hands through his hair as he wracked his brains to think of the story again, but being the vindictive creature she was, Midnight whispered the story's ending.

 _ **"The sacrifice of one life can ensure the survival of many others!"**_

Hiccup bowed his head as Midnight continued speaking in more matter of fact tone **.** **"My brother has already begun to re-join his own kind and has no time for you. You should re-join _your own_ kind. It would be best for all concerned."**

"But don't you hate him for leaving?" Hiccup groaned in confusion, "Why do you want Toothless to stay?

" **If he accepts his destiny, Shadow will have the forgiveness of my father and that will enough for me!"** Hiccup was taken aback by how sincere Midnight seemed with her statement. Clearly she wanted Toothless back, but only Toothless as she kept on talking, **"if you are constantly distracting him from his destiny and purpose, my Father and Brother will never reconcile and all will suffer. Think on it human. Think on it hard!"**

And at that the vengeful little Nightfury turned on her heels and darted out of the cave. Hiccup saw she was immediately joined by another identically sized dragon with blue eyes, before they both vanished out of sight, in the blink of an eye. Hiccup was left alone on the floor of the silent cave, His body feeling frozen and crushed under the weight of Midnight's cold harsh words while his mind was afire with questions.

 _Was he really that much of a burden? Was he standing in the way of his best friend's destiny, unfairly holding him back? Did it even matter seeing Toothless could be easily healed and his use as his rider would be over? Why didn't Toothless tell him such magic was possible on their journey? Had he been used to simply to get Toothless here and then he would be cast aside? If all that Midnight said was true how much could he trust Toothless and what he said in future?_

At the question of trusting His dragon, Hiccup shook his head violently and scrambled to his feet, pacing frantically, wiping the tears from his eyes and trying to banish the treacherous thoughts the bitter female Nightfury had planted in his mind.

"No he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't… He's my friend…my …best friend….It's not true…it can't be true!"

But the gnawing feeling that was turning him inside-out refused to go away and as Hiccup paced about running his fingers through his hair in frustration it made him wince as it aggravated his bruises that were still tender and sore. Seeking a brief respite from the pain Hiccup made his way shakily to his rock shelves and unpacked his store of Myrtle Root. With no water it didn't go down as easy as it did before, but he felt its healing effects almost instantly and his doubt and pain began to fade.

However he began to feel uncomfortable in other areas, namely he needed to use the bathroom and seeing there were no outhouses on The Isle of Night, Hiccup cautiously made his way into the woods hoping his Nightfury guards had left with Twilight.

He didn't go too far amongst the trees but went until he found a thick copse of bushes at the base of a large tree that were pretty sheltered from all directions. Quickly digging a shallow latrine with one of his forge tools, doing his business and filling it in again, Hiccup came back to the cave and, sitting against the wall, began making a list of all the things he would have to do to make this whole scenario more liveable.

But with dark thoughts circling his mind and the numbing effects of the Myrtle Root now taking full effect, Hiccup's pencil clattered to the floor and his head drooped as he drifted off to sleep, hoping and praying his only friend would come back soon and that he would stay….forever.

* * *

 **Well there you go.**

 **A chapter I certainly didn't see evolving from my notes until it was too late. I hope you like the interactions and I got some nice variety in.**

 **A few notes:**

 **I live in Ireland and the hexagonal causeway described in this story does exist. Google 'the giants Causeway' and images of volcanic flows in Iceland and you will get a feeling for how I imagine the Nightfuries' habitat.**

 **Old Lonesome made a brief appearance here. he is an OC developed with my buddy Gordon519. he will turn up more in future chapters.**

 **And so Midnight begins her campaign against Hiccup. things are gonna get a bit rough for him and we see will just how far he gets pushed.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter and where things are going.**

 **As always comments, reviews, ideas and P.M.s are all welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other**

 **Razor95**


	21. Downs and Ups

**Greetings all**

 **Back with another short update.**

 **Not else to say except thanks so much to the guys who keep leaving messages and asking questions. It really does keep me going.**

 **Should have one more update around Christmas as the holidays are really starting to pile on the pressure.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **The Return of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 21 – Downs and Ups**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons – Part IV)**_

 _ **Last time, Hiccup went spent an enlightening day with Twilight**_

 _ **before Midnight began to torment him when he was alone in the cave.**_

 _ **Hurt by Midnight's words Hiccup fell asleep waiting for Toothless.**_

 _ **What will happen when Toothless returns?**_

 _ **Read on and find out.**_

* * *

 _ **Toothless P.O.V.**_

Toothless trotted wearily back to his cave, his long sinuous tail dragging slightly on the ground. The combat with his brother though tiring, had been exhilarating and refreshing, re-awakening senses and abilities he had long forgotten. He was grateful to the armour-plated Nightbreaker, who walked unevenly just behind. They both meandered between the trees to the sound of rustling bushes and the soft clicking of their dragon scaled hides, each captive to their own thoughts. While Nightbreaker thought deeply on what he had learned about his brother and his small human, Toothless himself pondered how Nightbreaker would address his father regarding Hiccup.

He already knew his younger brother would be re-telling their conversation to Deathwing and Toothless suspected that Twilight, with her gift, would have already extracted quite a lot of information from Hiccup without the boy even realising.

Toothless hoped his father would not be as unreasonable as he had been in the past and that Hiccup indeed would be accepted here. It was the least he could do for the one that had made his home-coming possible.

Toothless was broken from his thoughts as he exited the tree-line near his cave. The sun was resting just above the horizon and the air was starting to fill with the restless energy of a nest of nocturnal creatures coming to life. However the atmosphere seemed quite tense as he approached his and Hiccup's cave and Toothless' brow furrowed at the sight that greeted him.

Outside his cave were a group of about six Nightfuries, quietly shifting and jostling with each other as they whispered amongst themselves. Their gazes were fixed firmly into his cave, so at first Toothless put it down to harmless curiosity for it had been a long time since a human had been this close outside of combat. But as Toothless came up behind the group he heard the whispers were more aggressive then he would have liked.

One Nightfury in particular hissed and grumbled as if urging his companions on and with Hiccup's scent heavy in the air, it meant the Viking teen was most definitely in the cave, alone for some reason. Stopping behind them, Toothless let out a low growl to signal his presence and take the attention off of his human.

" **Greetings brothers and sisters!"** Toothless intoned quietly, gaining everyone's attention and stilling the group to silence.

The leader of the group pushed his fellows aside and walked right up to Toothless, bowing deeply as he spoke **, "Hail Shadow, firstborn of Deathwing!"**

" **Greetings Blacklight"** Toothless replied evenly as his cousin raised his head up again, **"And what has you all so upset that you flock around my cave like a gaggle of unsettled Terrors?"**

" **Your human** _ **pet**_ **has challenged me!"** Blacklight growled, the dying red sunlight glinting off of his deeply purple eyes. Toothless' green eyes widened in confusion at the accusation as he glanced over the crowd of reptilian interlopers, to spot the boy curled up, asleep on the floor of the cave.

" **The child is asleep cousin, how could he possibly challenge you?"** Toothless replied his eyes narrowing in suspicion, **"And more importantly, why do you need five of your friends to answer said challenge?"**

" **He** _ **….claimed…..**_ **an area in the forest that is marked as mine!"** Blacklight hissed, his voice getting louder earning agreeing growls from his cohorts, **"His behaviour is completely unacceptable! I would have him answer for his trespass!"**

Toothless lifted his nostrils to the air and coupled with his knowledge of the boy's habits on their journey, immediately realised what Blacklight was getting at.

" **The boy means no harm Blacklight"** Toothless crooned trying to soothe his cousin's ire **, "he simply needs a place to mark as his own, he didn't know that was one of your trees!"**

" **Perhaps I should** _ **educate**_ **him then!"** Backlight growled in response, his talons clawing at the stony ground, his tail swaying side to side in dark excitement **"We didn't get to teach him properly last night, I would be happy to resume his 'lesson'!"**

" **That would be a mistake Blacklight!"** Toothless angrily barked in response, baring his teeth and letting the bones and muscles in his spine audibly pop as he flexed them, readying to pounce on the malicious dragon.

" **Perhaps I should teach** _ **you**_ **a lesson instead, for bringing dangerous creatures into our home!"** Blacklight retorted, rolling his shoulders and tensing his legs to match Toothless' aggressive posture.

" **I wouldn't if I were you Blacklight!"** Nightbreaker warbled deeply, limping forward to break up the confrontation, standing right beside Toothless. **"My brother has already broken scales and spilt blood this day! I would prefer it not to happen again."**

Blacklight took a moment to in inspect the severity of Nightbreaker's wounds and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked back to a smiling Toothless who had now fanned out his wings slightly, **"You….you did that?"** the purple-eyed Nightfury gasped.

Toothless simply nodded while Nightbreaker took another limped step forward, drawing Blacklight's gaze once more.

" **Verily he did Blacklight"** Nightbreaker crooned, **"And I doubt your armour is as thick as mine! My brother could very well cut you open in one swipe if you insist on provoking him by threatening his human, who does not know any better!"**

Blacklight looked Nightbreaker over one more time, analysing his condition before snorting derisively and looking at Toothless.

" **I go to take back what is mine! If I catch your** _ **pet**_ **leaving his mark in one of my territories again, I will answer his challenge and no-one will be able to stop me, not even the sons and daughters of the Alpha's line!"**

And with that Blacklight shoved his way between Toothless and Nightbreaker while the other Nightfuries scattered in different directions leaving the two brothers to think on what had happened.

" **Train your** _ **pet**_ **Shadow!….."** Blacklight called back over his shoulder **"…and train him quickly! If you don't, not only will he bring himself down….but he will bring you down as well!"**

As the disgruntled Nightfury slipped out of sight into shadows of the forest, Toothless and Nightbreaker looked at each other awkwardly and realised that the sleeping boy was dominating both of their thoughts.

" **This is what I mean by the boy being a problem! He shouldn't be here"** Nightbreaker warned **, "Already he has your cousin set against you!"**

" **It will not be a problem brother,"** Toothless replied firmly, **"Hiccup will not make that mistake again."**

" **I hope so! Now if you will excuse me, I have wounds to heal!"** the heavy-set Nightfury warbled, **"Until tomorrow brother!"** And so Nightbreaker launched into the sky and flew off, his body silhouetted against the dying rays of the sun.

Finally alone, Toothless retracted his wings and stepped lightly into the cave to inspect the new layout. The freshly carved holes with Hiccup's belongings caught his attention first and the Nightfury gently poked his snout into each one, sniffing and analysing their contents. His spare clothes gave off an unpleasant odour, like stale food and were in need of repair. But that was a problem easily solved. There were many sweet smelling jars with some leather pouches holding herbs and plants the dragon remembered Hiccup consuming to treat himself. There were small tools and items he did not recognize and as always with his boy, there were several books. Toothless looked forward to learning what everything did and admired the methodical way Hiccup had organised his things. It reminded him of the strange forge building he had snuck into that night back on Berk, when he was attached to his boy and they only barely escaped being caught by that small blonde Viking she-devil.

Seeing the child's possessions laid out somehow made the cave feel more like 'home' to him. That it was more than just a dragon's lair. Smirking Toothless finally walked around the fire pit and turned his attention to Hiccup lying at an awkward angle on the floor, journal and pencil strewn beside him.

Leaning in, Toothless ruffled the boy's hair with his snout and chuffed a gentle greeting. **"Time to wake up my boy!"** the Nightfury crooned warmly, causing the Viking boy to immediately stir and sit up.

"ugh…agh..uh…Toothless…hey buddy, long time no see!" Hiccup muttered groggily.

The greeting wasn't as warm as the dragon had been expecting and Hiccup's aura was a strangely neutral green so Toothless nuzzled his head into Hiccup's chest, purring deeply to reassure his human. Unfortunately he didn't notice the pained look in Hiccup's eyes as he wrapped his arms around the dragon's wide head whispering "I missed you so much!"

* * *

 _ **Hiccup P.O.V. A few minutes ago**_

He had been dozing on and off since sitting down with his book. The sudden onset of sleep had taken the boy by blissful surprise and he welcomed escaping the confusing world he had landed himself in, at least for a short while. Hiccup's mind rather than floating in that comforting empty blackness of deep sleep raced through the many interactions he had experienced in the past day or so. It was a truly bewildering and unnerving sensation that made him consciously shiver.

As he heard faint repetitions of his conversations with Twilight, Midnight's threats and Deathwing's lectures, Hiccup felt a tingling sensation around his legs caused by a faint breeze, created by what he could have sworn was the rustling of scales and the clicking of many claws on the ground. It was as if he had drifted into a nest of Terrible Terrors that writhed and chittered at his intrusion.

Then as quickly as the sound appeared to stir him from unconsciousness, it subsided, to be replaced by more distinct voices.

Hiccup couldn't tell who the voices belonged to, but he could tell that they were all angry. He didn't hear everything but was able to make out some of the words as the dragons spoke in highly threatening tones. Even with his eyes closed and his body curled up on the floor, Hiccup's face dropped in a frown as he picked out phrases like, _"_ _ **His behaviour is completely unacceptable!...teach you a lesson instead, for bringing dangerous creatures into our home….."**_

Hiccup immediately realised there were unhappy Nightfuries outside his cave and they were arguing with someone. His body remained still and Hiccup tried desperately to figure out who the voice was talking to and what he could possibly have done to provoke these dragons, besides showing up here. There was some quiet growling, barking and hissing that drowned out the rest of the conversation but when it died down Hiccup heard a clear threatening voice ring out in the distance _ **, "…Train your pet Shadow!….he will bring you down…..!"**_

So they were talking about _him_ and Toothless / Shadow had been defending him. Hiccup wanted to get up and thank his friend, but a new voice stopped him and he was able to make out, _**"This is what I mean by the boy being a problem! He shouldn't be here!"**_ Hiccup heard the worried bass voice croon **,** _ **"Already he has your cousin set against you!"**_

Hiccup's heart clenched in fear and self-loathing as his earlier thoughts came back to haunt him. His presence _was_ jeopardizing Toothless' place and stirring up trouble on the Isle of night. Midnight had been correct after all. And he had only been here one day. Things were not going well and Hiccup, despite Twilight's reassurances felt horrible for bringing this conflict to his best friends' front door (even though the cave had no front door per say, something Hiccup wished to remedy if he could find the materials).

" _ **Hiccup will not make that mistake again!"**_

The words that Toothless spoke hit Hiccup hard. It sounded like the dragon was annoyed with him. It had only been a day on this new island and already he was causing problems, upsetting the locals and needing to be constantly kept under guard. It seemed things here were no different than on Berk. The thought made Hiccup shudder slightly as Midnight's words found an even stronger foothold in his mind.

' _He was a burden. He would probably have been hurt or worse if Toothless had not arrived. He was unable to protect himself. He was dragging his friend down!'_

Hiccup was focusing so much on keeping his thoughts and emotions in check that he failed to notice the departure of the other Nightfury and Toothless poking quietly around his things on the shelves.

He was startled by thick scales messing with his hair, followed a deep voice murmuring to him _**"time to wake up my boy!"**_

Instantly Hiccup was up and reaching for his friend, unsure as how he should greet him. The dragon had just been expressing doubts about him and may even shout at him for some screw-up he had committed. But Hiccup was used to that from Stoick and everyone else back on Berk, so he pushed his fears aside and jumped straight to his usual dead-pan-quipping self as he sat up, "ugh… agh.. uh… Toothless… hey buddy, long time no see!", he muttered groggily.

The greeting wasn't as warm as Hiccup wanted to give and he immediately felt guilty but before he could apologize, Toothless was nuzzling his head into Hiccup's chest, purring deeply. The pleasant feeling made Hiccup feel so conflicted. He loved this affection the dragon gave him but he didn't want to be selfish, seeing he was no longer the only priority in the dragon's life anymore. Hiccup longed for those days in the cove or even when they flew away from Berk, so long as it was just them. It hurt to know he would never have those days back again. So much so his eyes threatened to leak fresh tears, but he held them back as he wrapped his arms around the dragon's wide head whispering "I missed you so much!"

After a few moments, Hiccup withdrew his hands and as he idly gazed down them he let out yelp "AGH!"

* * *

 **General P.O.V.**

" **What? What is it Hiccup?"** Toothless crooned in concern pulling back from the boy's embrace.

"You're hurt Bud!" Hiccup gasped as he turned his palms to show the Nightfury they were covered in dark crimson blood.

Panicking Hiccup scrambled to his feet and began running his hands all over Toothless' body, hastily searching for what kind of injuries his friend had received and what had caused them. Toothless remained still as the human's concern for him never ceased to warm his heart along with the humorous bouts of rambling Hiccup would descend into when he was overly worried. Stifling a deep throaty laugh Toothless nudged Hiccup back a step with his paw, his eyes wide with playfulness.

" **Never fear Hiccup, they just a few sparing marks! Trust me, Nightbreaker faired far worse than I!"** Toothless declared warmly with a small degree of smugness, knowing he had nothing to fear from fighting his own kin anymore.

"Oh…well…..that's…ok I guess….." Hiccup muttered as he calmed down trying to wipe the blood off his hands. Yet he could now see the Nightfury had large patches of the dried blood all across his back and legs as well as a big lump of clotted blood below his left nostril. Hiccup felt bad at not being able to help for he was no dragon doctor and his own wounds had yet to fully heal.

' _Maybe Midnight was right. How could he take care of Toothless if he couldn't even take care of himself?'_

As the boy went quiet, still with a deep look of concern on his face, Toothless decided he would begin the child's education as Blacklight suggested and take care of several things before they got out of hand. But also have some fun at the same time!

" **How about we go for flight?"** the Nightfury warbled.

Hiccup's face split wide with a smile of surprise, relief and gratitude that made the Nightfury chuckle. Normally it was Hiccup who got Toothless excited by suggesting a flight. As the boy moved quickly to lift his saddle and tailfin, Toothless continued pleasantly as the apparatus was strapped on.

" **And while we fly, I will show you more of our home! There is much I have to teach you. For starters I know of a series hot spring where we can wash this blood off and you can clean that muck off your coverings."**

Hiccup paused in his movements at the word 'teach' remembering the stern words spoken while he supposedly slept. He looked at his clothes and let out an aggravated groan, as if noticing his dishevelled appearance for the first time, "Uggghhh, no! I can't believe I looked this bad in front of Twilight! She must think I'm disgusting!"

" **Nonsense!"** Toothless warbled playfully, **"Twilight is one of the most understanding Nightfuries I know! All we need to do is get you cleaned up. There's actually a legend about the hot springs! It is said that they are heated by…"**

"…..By the soul of a great Fire-Worm that haunts the land and heats the earth?" Hiccup interrupted a small smile on his face.

" **Why…..uh…..I mean…..yes!"** Toothless uttered stunned that Hiccup knew such a thing, **"How did you?….."**

"A certain _understanding_ Nightfury told me." Hiccup replied, trying hard not to laugh at surprising his draconic friend.

Toothless broke into a loud draconic laugh that made his whole body shiver. Truly something amazing must have happened for Twilight share such a thing with Hiccup and the dragon started bouncing around the cave in excitement, causing Hiccup to run after him, barely getting a hold on the saddle to stay beside him.

" **Come Hiccup!"** Toothless chirped joyously **, "bring all of your coverings and your flower-rock!"** Hiccup always smirked when he heard Toothless say the word he had chosen to call Hiccup's soap. **"Let us fly! Let us show my kin what we can do together! And we shall cleanse ourselves from our past trials!"**

The Nightfury's happy tone warmed Hiccup and he momentarily allowed himself to set aside Midnight's taunts and the conversation he had overheard. A few short minutes saw Hiccup pack all of his clothes into his wolf-skin sack and mounted on the Nightfury before the pair shot off into the sky.

But Hiccup's jubilation was again replaced by fear and uncertainty as he saw that they were not the only ones in the sky that night.

For, above, below and all around them, the sky was literally filled with Nightfuries!

All Hiccup could utter was a fretful "Oh boy!"

* * *

 **There you are.**

 **Not much to say about this chapter except the pressure is starting to mount. But we are in no way getting close to seeing how much stress is going to be piled on our luckless hero!**

 **Figured a bit of a quiet domestic scene was in order before we get back to some action which will involve Hiccup and Toothless' first flight with the nest and their next encounter with Deathwing, amongst others.**

 **Hope you like the story so far and as always any comments, reviews, P.M's or feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care yourselves and each other**

 **And Merry Christmas!**

 **Razor95**


	22. Come fly with me

**Greetings all!**

 **I couldn't sleep and the writing fever gripped me so I slammed this chapter out as it was driving me nuts if I didn't get it done.**

 **hopefully you guys will like it.**

 **as always any reviews, comments, P.M.s or feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **Also I just wanna offer any encouragement to all the other HTTYD fan-fic writers out there at this holiday time. I can see many of our fellow writers are feeling the strain to the point where they are having to step back from their stories and deal with various issues. To those I say, take heart and stay strong. Bad times come and go and whatever you are going through, the community will be here, ready to offer you moral support if you need it.**

 **That said, on with the story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 22 – Come fly with me**_

 _ **(The school of Dragons – Part V)**_

* * *

 _ **Last time Toothless was confronted by an angry Blacklight who threatened Hiccup for offending him**_

 _ **Nightbreaker then warned Toothless of the danger Hiccup posed which Toothless accepted.**_

 _ **Little did either of them know Hiccup had overheard them.**_

 _ **Now they are going for their first flight with the Nightfury flock.**_

 _ **What will happen?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

Hiccup had no idea the sky could look like it was physically _alive!_

Oh he seen the massed flocks of the dragon raids, but their sheer numbers had always been obscured by the cover of night, making them even more terrifying to him and the other Vikings that fought to defend Berk. Hiccup guessed if the raids ever happened in daylight and the Vikings ever saw the true number of dragons they were fighting, most would have given up to despair and defeat long ago!

As he and Toothless ascended swiftly into the air, they seemed to be joined by every other dragon in the nest. The chaotic yet graceful mass of black reptiles writhed and coalesced with infinite wing beats, to the extent it looked like some vast multi-clawed creature was trying to rend the very sky to pieces.

The dusk resounded with a cacophony of dragon barks, yips and roars as several groups split off from the main horde and began their own circulations and interactions.

Many Nightfuries swooped low to the crashing waves, scooping mouthfuls of fish out of the water, while other smaller flocks glided lazily on the air currents higher up. Hiccup was mesmerized as he saw yet more Nightfuries playing what he thought was a game of tag as they swirled, dove and bounced off one another. Every once in a while the Viking boy would see two Nightfuries come together chest-to-chest and lock talons, sending them into a wild tailspin. His worry that they would hit the waves as they flailed wildly in the air were unfounded, as each wrestling bout broke apart well before they came close to the ocean, only to ascend and start the mid-air combat all over again.

It was wondrous to see the sky so alive and vibrant as the flock spread out, casting beautiful silhouettes against the fiery reds and oranges of the setting sun. All Hiccup could do was marvel breathlessly at it, as Toothless watched him out of the corner of his eye, smirking at the rapture his rider was in.

"Toothless, this is amazing!", the Viking boy finally whispered.

" **Indeed it is my boy!"** Toothless crooned warmly.

So far they had been ignored by the other dragons but now, as the countless Nightfuries found their own space in the air, Hiccup felt himself and Toothless becoming the centre of the airborne attention. Everywhere the pair looked, they found yet more and more pairs of dragon eyes staring back at them, each displaying various emotions including shock, curiosity, incredulity and disgust.

Hiccup felt the pressure of their combined gaze and lowered himself in the saddle, hoping he could somehow hide himself under his friend's scales. But it was to no avail, as many of the Nightfuries began to fly very close to them from all sides, each wanting to see the Viking child for themselves and the unique sight of him riding atop the first-born of their Alpha. Hiccup shared nervous nods and waves with some of them as they acknowledged him, while others ignored him altogether and flew off. Yet still more and more came closer and closer, barking words of greeting and intrusively questioning both him and Toothless about what it was like to fly together, how it affected them and if they were going to leave again.

"Ah bud?...it's….uh….getting a bit crowed here! Do you think you ask them to back off a bit?" Hiccup rasped in concern as he had to dodge several wings and tails getting too close for comfort.

But Toothless remained silent as he felt the arrival of a new presence. A presence that exuded a power so great, that it spread nothing but authority and strength in its wake. A power that sent all the dragons scattering away from them as a huge shadow fell over the pair of runaways.

Hiccup guessed the sun had set when the light dimmed around them, but quickly thought differently as it seemed to still illuminate the land far below. Feeling the same presence now that Toothless felt, Hiccup looked up and straight into the huge, overwhelming sight of Deathwing Himself!

If the Alpha dragon was big on the ground, then Deathwing positively massive in the air with his vast, eclipsing wings blotting out nearly everything in view above them. The huge beast must have been at least 150 feet long from head to tail fin with a 200 foot wingspan.

Hiccup's jaw fell open in awe as he saw the underside of the Alpha which was just as flawless as the other sides he had seen last night. Between large sweeping wing beats Hiccup finally saw the extent of Deathwing's scar which ran down from the centre of his neck to just above his belly, stopping about 20 feet before his rear legs. Whatever had caused that perfect scar Hiccup realised must have been an incredibly powerful dragon and the original wound must been unbearably painful. It looked like it would have hollowed out the contents of the mighty dragon had it not healed over.

Hiccup followed the lines of the dragon up its body until he reached its head and locked eyes with the Alpha who was now staring back at him with equal intense scrutiny. The elevated positioning of the Nightfury King, coupled with his sheer size, made Hiccup feel even smaller than usual and he suddenly got the feeling he wasn't as free or as safe as he thought he was, when it came to flying with Toothless.

Toothless himself was sharing Hiccup's gaze and he too stared up at his father expectantly. The young dragon was waiting for his father to give some command, either to fly up and join him or to fulfil some other task. But he was to be disappointed as Deathwing merely nodded his head dismissively and began to slowly ascend higher, whilst altering course away from them, causing Toothless to growl at the slight to his honour.

"Why didn't he do anything bud?" Hiccup asked, concerned at the tension he could feel in the Dragon beneath him.

" **He does not wish to engage with us at this time. He does not believe us to worthy of flying with him yet."** Toothless muttered slightly dejected.

Hiccup felt anger begin to boil in him again. Once more Deathwing, his friend's lord and father, had needlessly disrespected his own son, a feeling he was all too familiar with. The need to do something quickly to rectify that sparked in him a fevered energy to help his friend and to do something crazy…and probably something stupid.

"Well I don't think he should be allowed to just fly away like that!" Hiccup bellowed, "What did you say before bud?!...Let's show your kin what we can do!"

Toothless' heart burst to life as he friend's words struck him and the two shared a look only they knew the meaning of. As the rest of the flock began to swarm them again, both boy and dragon let a loud howl as Hiccup slammed down on the control pedal, opening Toothless' tail fin and allowing the Nightfury to surge forward in a blinding explosion of speed. The shockwave of their departure sent many dragons floundering away in startled surprise and only when they recovered, could they see the ferocious speed their first-born had set.

Even with the boy on his back altering his naturally aerodynamic streamlined body, Toothless cut a swathe through the flock, causing whole groups to scatter, like a piece of broken glass. As the Dragon and human howled in euphoric triumph, their exuberance began to infect many of the Nightfuries around them and soon Toothless and Hiccup found themselves leading a very long column of energised and competitive reptiles, eager to match their speed and see just exactly where this display was going.

" **You better hold on boy!"** Toothless roared as he began a steep climb, the other Nightfuries following suit. As Hiccup and Toothless reached the zenith of their ascent, time seemed to slow as Hiccup took in the island beneath him. It was still large in his vision, but far enough away that it did seem to lose its intimidating aura. In the thin aired silence, Toothless looked back at Hiccup and crooned.

" **I learnt something new today Hiccup!"**

"Really? What?"

A sequence of loud popping noises reached Hiccup's ears and the Viking looked back just in time to see his Nightfury's dorsal fins split in two and begin flexing open and closed. At this altitude they were already starting to generate small contrails of mist as they sliced through the thin air.

"Wow bud!" Hiccup exclaimed, "What in the name of Thor are those?"

" **We call them spinner-fins!"** Toothless exalted, **"they grant me even more manoeuvrability so I can make turns tighter and faster!"**

"Did you know about this?"

" **Once, a long time ago, I only recently discovered them!"**

"You are amazing bud!" Hiccup sighed happily patting Toothless' head.

" **Tell me that after!"** Toothless retorted a wicked grin plastered across his face that made the Viking rider wide eyed with horror.

"Toothless? What are you…AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Hiccups' scream was nearly sucked back into his throat as the Nightfury suddenly spun into an impossibly fast corkscrewing dive.

" **YOU USELESS REPTIIIIIIIILLLLLLEEEE!"** Hiccup shakily shouted as the spinning got faster, the turns got tighter and the column of pursuing Nightfuries had to dive out of the way of the dragon and boy barrelling through them on their way to the ground.

Throwing out his wings, Toothless slowed only for second to let the dizzy Viking catch his bearings. It filled the dragon with immeasurable pride that, despite not knowing what he was going to do, Hiccup did not miss a single adjustment of the tail fin and the synchronicity between only seemed to get stronger. Finally the rest of the flock caught up with them, many dragons barking and roaring with joy at the adventurous spirit on display. Toothless led the column in different directions, passing over the cliffs of the nest then winding through the sea stacks that lined the southern shoreline of the Isle of Night. Once again they climbed into the air and Toothless started arcing in large horizontal spirals, bringing the rest of his kind into a more organised formation behind them. At first it seemed they were simply doing it for fun, with no goal in mind, but it became apparent that Toothless actually had purpose for this. Turning in wide arc, Hiccup realised that they were now approaching Deathwing from behind as he glided gracefully along, seemingly oblivious to their approach.

"Uh Toothless? What are you doing?" the boy asked nervously, testing his grip on the saddle.

" **Something stupid!"** The Nightfury chuckled as he began to pick up speed, still keeping the spiralling movement going, making the Alpha constantly rotate in their line sight. Hiccup could feel his apprehension growing and he glanced back to see many Nightfuries dropping out of the formation, too afraid perhaps of approaching their Alpha in such a way. But Toothless didn't care; he would do this with or without his kin. His father had thrown down a challenge and he was going to the answer it in a way his human would. With brains, guile, audacity and unending courage! Toothless felt a deep thrum begin to glow in his chest, his core, his once great force of will that had been restrained by the Red Death. It was trying to break out, but something was still holding it back. He was nowhere near operating at his full potential.

Yet that did not matter right now, for the small portion of his core that was resonating, was apparently enough for the other dragons to sense, so the Nightfuries that maintained the formation closed ranks and stuck with Toothless' example to the point where he led a completely perfectly horizontally rotating cylinder of Nightfuries that was steadily getting closer to surround the mighty Deathwing!

The Alpha had not been unaware of what was going on. He knew his son was a proud creature and any imagined slight to that pride was often motivation enough to inspire him to great feats. Deathwing had watched the phenomenal display of aerial prowess Toothless had put on with microscopic interest, his eyes analysing and cataloguing every minute movement the boy and dragon made. Deathwing was, if he was honest, astounded at the way the human was able to maintain his grip as well as not interfere with his son's flight. The bond between the two was stronger than he imagined, which begged the question;

' _ **How far could they push until that bond broke?'**_ He knew his son was nearly indestructible so the weak link had to be the boy on his back. He would push and prod that link until he was satisfied, until he had the answer to the question that constantly haunted him.

' _ **Should he let a human stay with his flock? With his first-born and most cherished son? Especially after the last time he let a human do so? Would the consequences be as he hoped? Or as he feared?'**_

Deathwing's introspection was shattered by a loud screech and the Alpha's eyes widened as Toothless flew into his vision, first from above, then below, then at the sides. The Alpha was further surprised to hear the call of his son taken up by hundreds of other Nightfuries and Deathwing found himself surrounded on all sides by a near flawless display of synchronised flying. The long column of dragons continued spinning around the idling Alpha and through the overwhelming feeling of elation and excitement of the flock, Deathwing could sense the presence of his son's core, leading, comforting, reassuring the dragons that followed him. It warmed the Alpha's heart to feel Toothless' core fighting to be felt once more. Yet there was still much more to be done and Deathwing knew Toothless' core was a long way from being re-ignited fully, unless he himself was forced to take drastic steps and remove the living distraction that was perched between his son' wings.

Eventually the column passed Deathwing by, leaving him in free and clear air, as his son and his rider doubled back to fly level with his large head. The look the Alpha exchanged with Toothless and even Hiccup was one of obvious respect for such a display, which although powerful, was not seen as a direct challenge to his rule. Yet that was all the Alpha deigned to give his son for now. Love was a far more potent and volatile emotion Deathwing could not express until he was certain that his son had most definitely returned to him, free of any outside corruption or influence.

Giving a deep nod Deathwing crooned, **"An impressive display my son! The skies are yours and a place at my wing is granted, may the Great Mother and Father Spirit grant you clear skies and safe winds!"**

" **And to you as well father!"** Toothless warbled back happily. Hiccup feeling slightly awkward at being part of this father – son moment, simply bowed his head when the Alpha's huge green eyes glanced at him. Deathwing let a small grin tug at his mouth.

' _ **Indeed, respect, not love',**_ the Alpha thought **,** _ **'not yet!'**_

" **We have one more thing to show you father!"** Toothless suddenly barked out.

"We do?" Hiccup questioned.

" **Yes Hiccup we do!"** Toothless chirped, turning his gaze back to Deathwing **, "would you call the others behind you father?"**

Curious, Deathwing nodded and emitted a loud deep rumble as Toothless began to climb higher and the flock, also curious to see what was going on, obediently fell in behind their Alpha.

"What are we going to do now bud?" Hiccup called, the air whipping past them as Toothless climbed further and further into the sky, "are we doing something stupid again?"

" **No boy!"** Toothless barked back **, "Now we do something crazy!"**

And with that Toothless gave his body an almighty flick that not only flung Hiccup out of his saddle, but deftly let the hooks from his safety harness slide out their anchor points. In mere moments Hiccup found himself going from flying up to plummeting straight down, uttering some very choice profanities to the gods for being 'saddled' with this crazy reptile, or lack thereof in this case!

The wind whined in Hiccup's ears as he got control of his falling body pointing it straight down to get as little drag as possible. The speed of his fall was starting to cause some mild wind burn on his face but the adrenaline pumping through his body took the edge off the air's bite. Now that he was under control, Hiccup spun his body to see the hovering flock of Nightfuries nearby, watching his fall with rapt attention. He could tell some looked frightened or even concerned for his fate, while others looked just plain bewildered.

For the longest time he couldn't see Toothless. But Hiccup knew better than to doubt his friend when they were in the sky of all places. On the ground seemed to be a different story, but in the air, their trust was unassailable. And so it came as no surprise to see the crazy Nightfury come into his line of sight, large tongue flopping wilding in the wind as it hung out of a wide gummy smile.

In perfect pace they fell together and with small nudges of Toothless' paws, Hiccup let himself spin a few times in his straight vertical position while Toothless spun himself to match. Eventually, after falling for what felt like forever, the sea looked to be getting a bit close, so Toothless rotated his back and allowed Hiccup to clamber back into the saddle with practised ease and hooking his foot into the control pedal of the fake tail fin. With a slow opening of Toothless'wings and a similarly controlled widening of the Dragon's prosthetic, both Viking and Nightfury levelled out to an even keel in front of the entire tribe of Nightfuries who then exploded with roars of applause and explosions of celebratory plasma blasts.

Sweeping across the waves, both Hiccup and Toothless admired the many explosions and starbursts of plasma fire the Nightfuries detonated above them in celebration of their display. It was only when the furious lightshow ended did Hiccup realise the sun had completely gone and night had truly come.

In the light of the waxing moon Hiccup and Toothless re-joined the flock, which had dispersed back its various smaller groups and activities. Deathwing had disappeared, along with a great many of the other Nightfuries, but that was not unexpected Toothless explained to Hiccup, for the great Alpha had many critical duties to attend to and the night would only last so long.

Eventually Toothless and Hiccup ended up leading a small group of Nightfuries that consisted of Twilight, Rumble and Scythe along with several others that introduced themselves as Calidus, Eversor, Tailspin, Raven and Ground-Pounder. Twilight informed Toothless, Nightbreaker was still resting, thus explaining his absence from the group. The new Nightfuries and the ones Hiccup already knew coasted lazily along the eastern shores of the Island and passed the time with idle conversation and many compliments of Hiccup's ability to stay saddle-bound in throes of the Nightfury aerial display.

All was going well until Hiccup felt a rough jolt as something seemed to slam into Toothless from below. The Alpha's firstborn roared in anger at what or who would have the audacity to blindside him in such a way and he hastily adjusted his position to recover an even flight path.

" **I said for you to train the human, cousin!"** a contemptuous gravelly voice rang out, **"Looks like it's actually the boy who's learnt how to train a dragon!"**

The group turned to see the new comer and ten pairs of eyes landed on Blacklight, as he flew wingtip to wingtip with Toothless glaring daggers at Hiccup.

" **That's what I'm doing Blacklight, if you will just give me the chance!"** Toothless snarked back.

" **Oh really?"** Blacklight scoffed between wing-beats **"If you call that aerobatic insanity training your human, then you're not going to get very far with him!"** Toothless opened his mouth to reply but Blacklight interrupted **, "Have you told him to stay away from my trees yet? I won't have my territories defiled by his waste again!"**

" **Toothless what is he talking about?"** Hiccup queried.

" **I'll explain later Hiccup"** Toothless yipped curtly, narrowing his eyes in aggression at Blacklight for trying to sully their peaceful excursion.

" **You better Shadow! Or I'll be defiling my trees with your** _ **pet's**_ **remains in short order! Till next time, firstborn,** _ **'Heeso**_ **!'"**

And with that Blacklight pumped his wings and changed course to head a little further out to sea, leaving Toothless seething while Hiccup felt confused and highly embarrassed as he began to fit some of the pieces together in is mind, causing his aura to become tinged with specks of unhappy blues, something which did not sit well with any of the dragons in the group.

" **Disrespectful Eel-eater!"** Ground-Pounder finally screeched indignantly, his yellow eyes flashing violently against his jet-black scales, **"Firstborn! Grant me leave to discipline Blacklight for humiliating your pet!"**

" **He is not my** _ **pet**_ **!"** Toothless barked back, **"he is my friend! Thank you for the offer but I will not have someone fight our battles, when we can do it ourselves!"**

" **But how can you fight with the human on your back Shadow? Let me carry him so he will not burden you in the combat"** Calidus chimed in.

"Hey I can hear you know!" Hiccup shouted at the Nightfury, his ire peaked by the dragon's unknowing use of the word 'burden', "Me and toothless and can handle this on our own! In fact I've got the perfect idea that won't involve fighting!"

" **Really? What do you have in mind my boy?"** Toothless warbled confused at the sly smirk that now played on Hiccup's face.

"Okay bud, here's what were gonna do!" Hiccup said as he leaned forward and whispered into the Nightfury's ear. After a few seconds Toothless wore an amused smirk that matched his human's. The rest of the little flock all stared at them with looks of anticipation, trying to decipher what possible retaliation the boy and Nightfury had in mind.

After Toothless led the group in a wide turn to match Blacklight's course, the Alpha's son warbled humorously, **"come with me everyone, You will want to bear witness to this!"**

 _ **Blacklight P.O.V.**_

' _ **Another weak creature brought to heel!'**_ Blacklight thought as he cruised idly over the calm ocean. The moon provided excellent light to see by and the salty air was refreshing to the Nightfury's nostrils. The powerful ebony dragon revelled in his strength, as he planned his next move against the recently returned first-born that had denied him his prize.

He _sooooooooo_ wanted to kill and eat that scrawny human the moment he saw him. He wished with all his might to hear the child's screams as it begged him for mercy. He licked his lips as he imagined the human flesh sliding down his throat and slaking his hunger, if only for a short while until he found a new human victim. He would have his vengeance for what this 'Hiccup's' people had done to him and his kind. He would have recompense for the many scars he bore, for the losses he had been forced to endure, for the kin that had been cruelly ripped away from him.

He would have his revenge and if it meant starting with that human boy then, so be it. And if that meant going through his insufferably noble cousin? Then so be it as well!

' _ **What right did Shadow have coming back so casually after abandoning his kind, all serve his own selfish whims?'**_

Blacklight was sure _he_ would never disrespect his Alpha the way Shadow had. Soon everyone would realise exactly what kind of traitor Shadow was, regardless of their fanciful flying and destroy them both for their blasphemy. Shadow had brought the son of dragon kind's most notorious enemies to his families' very home, an unforgiveable crime in his purple eyes.

' _ **How did Shadow not know that, especially after last time? Had the Alpha's first-born become so deluded in his travels amongst the humans, that he could forgive the heinous wrongs that been perpetrated against the Nightfuries?'**_

It seemed so. And that made Blacklight's heart churn with bile and disgust.

He would not let such a travesty go unpunished. He would cleanse The Isle of Night of its most recent taint, be they human or dragon that sided with humans. None would be spared his righteous wrath! He would be heralded as the saviour of his kind and be rewarded accordingly. Closing his eyes to deepen the fantasy of his impending glory, Blacklight basked in the perceived accolades his kind would give him, once he had fulfilled his destiny.

Blacklight was so deep in his own self-aggrandisement that he did not notice the human and Nightfury pair creeping on up him from below.

Hiccup and Toothless had left their group to follow about 50 feet back and now flew silently, fitting underneath Blacklight like a perfect reflection. Toothless adjusted his wing-beats to match Blacklight exactly so he would not be aware of their presence until it was too late.

With each wing-beat, Toothless and Hiccup inched closer to Blacklight's underbelly until Hiccup could reach out and touch the powerful Nightfury with one hand. They would only have one shot at this and Hiccup would have to work fast.

Coming slightly forward Toothless closed the last of the distance between them and before Blacklight realised what was happening, Hiccup began furiously scratching the underside of the Nightfury's jaw. The moment the human touched his scales Blacklight's eyes snapped open in shock.

' _ **How dare this human scum touch him!? how dare he….wait…What was this feeling rushing over him?...why did he feel so relaxed?...why did he feel so calm?….why did he suddenly want to….sleep…..?'**_

Ignoring Blacklight's jarring reaction, Hiccup focused harder and his skilled hands found the 'sweet-spot' he had discovered during his time with Toothless, that would reduce any Nightfury to a limp pile of scales, sinew and bones. Blacklight reacted exactly how Hiccup hoped. In seconds the once graceful Nightfury lost all control of his limbs and - while Toothless dodged out of the way – went careening straight into the frigid sea water below with an almighty….

' _ **SPLASH!'**_

The shock of hitting the water was like nothing Blacklight had experienced in a long time. He had taken a boulder to the face from a Viking catapult, he had sparred with his father, even Deathwing and been on the receiving end of pretty debilitating attacks.

But nothing compared to the mind-numbing shock and feeling of utter helplessness Blacklight felt as the sea water engulfed him, clogging his lungs and stifling his fire glands. Thrashing wildly under the surface to get his bearings again, Blacklight scrambled to the surface and broke the water with all manner of vicious snarls, coughs, splutters and curses.

Blinking the nasty salt-water from his eyes, Blacklight took in the sight of Shadow and his human flying away into the distance with their little 'entourage'. Though they were already far away Blacklight, with his enhanced hearing, could tell they were laughing.

' _ **They were laughing at him…him!'**_

' _ **How dare they?!'**_

New rage exploded in Blacklight and he renewed his vows to The Great Mother and Father Spirits that he would end the life of that despicable human before he moved on to destroy the rest of his kind.

' _ **Oh he would most definitely have his revenge now and nothing would stop him! But not before he answered the human's disrespect in kind!'**_

Seeing he had crashed in the water not far from the shoreline, it didn't take Blacklight long to swim to the nearest beach and shake the briny water from his hide. Barking a few whines into the night sky, it only took a few minues for his accomplice to join him on the beach.

" **What in the Stars of Draco happened to you?!"** the little Nightfury asked, shocked at the larger Nightfury's bedraggled state.

" **The human! That scum thought he could undermine me with his trickery!"** Blacklight snarled loudly unwilling to share the full details of his humiliation and the extent of his embarrassment with Midnight, **"He actually touched me! How dare he!"**

" **Don't worry cousin!"** Midnight chirped darkly, **"Next time I see him I will kill him for you!"**

" **No! I don't want him dead!"** Blacklight snapped as he set his mind to working, before a dark grin settled on his features, **"I want him hurt, I want him embarrassed, I want him ashamed, I want him…..** _ **humiliated!"**_

Midnight cocked her head and grinned, matching Blacklight as she puffed out her small chest, " **I'm already working on that cousin! Piece by piece I'm breaking the human apart, it's going to be easier than I thought!"**

" **Really?"** Blacklight intoned **"Well! How about you try this as well?"**

Midnight stepped forward and listened intently as Blacklight whispered his plan in her ear. The little Nightfury's tail was wagging furiously with wicked delight as the older Nightfury told her what to do. When he was done, Midnight jumped back, bouncing in circles with relish.

" **That's brilliant Blacklight!"** Midnight cheered, **"That** _ **'Heeso'**_ **will not know what hit him!"**

" **Oh no little one!"** Blacklight hissed malevolently **, "I** _ **want**_ **him to know! I'm actually counting on it!"**

Both Nightfuries shared a deep draconic laugh on the deserted beach before parting ways. Blacklight flew back to the nest to rest his wounded pride while Midnight went to execute his plan on the unsuspecting human.

' _ **It WILL be a glorious piece of revenge! Not all of it, but enough to start the ball**_ _**rolling**_ ' both Nightfuries thought.

Dragons after-all are patient creatures and Blacklight would watch this child's slow and painful destruction with absolute glee before stepping in, to finish him off himself.

As he landed back at his home cave, Blacklight vowed, he would make certain of that!

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **Hope you liked a bit more flight action and Toothless reasserting himself a bit while his enemies plot and scheme.**

 **This may be my final chapter before Christmas but I will try and get one more out before the big day.**

 **As always, all reviews, comments feedback and P.M.s are greatly appreciated as they do keep me going and I love talking to you guys.**

 **The next chapter will involve a scene at the Hot-Springs**

 **Til next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	23. Night-swimming PT1

**Greetings all**

 **Here we are! A new year and a new chapter. However while we all look forward to a better future I'm sorry to say this chapter is not going to be a pleasant one. It was said in previous chapters things were going to get bad, well this is just the start of it and it won't get much better.**

 **Hopefully nothing too bad for a T rating. Just be warned OK?**

 **With that being said, enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23**_

 _ **Night-swimming – Part 1**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons- Part VI)**_

 _ **Last time toothless and Hiccup dazzled the nest of Nightfuries and Deathwing with some top notch flying.**_

 _ **However a run in Blacklight had the Nightfury swearing revenge on Hiccup and using Midnight to get it.**_

 _ **How will the revenge happen?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

Flying.

Truly there was nothing like it.

It was the only thing that seemed to keep Hiccup sane on this crazy island, dealing with these crazy dragons. After meeting Toothless it was the only thing that kept him sane on his old crazy island, dealing with crazy Vikings.

Flying let Hiccup marvel at the beauty of the world, realising the Dragons were just as big a part of it as the Vikings were.

There was a natural grace to the flying reptiles that Hiccup always seemed to appreciate growing up, despite his teachers, peers and father trying on multiple occasions to beat their hatred of dragons into him. Their angry words rang with bitterness as they described daemonic beasts and soulless killers. That the only thing dragons were good for were killing. Because that was all the mindless devils deserved.

But Hiccup knew the dragons deserved better.

It was through the act of flying that reaffirmed his belief that, any race that could see the world from this god-like perspective must possess an understanding on how it worked, a knowledge greater than the sum of its parts…and a compassion not burn it all to ashes, which the dragons could very well do if they so desired.

It was this reassuring line of thought that occupied Hiccup's mind as he, Toothless and their small cadre of Nightfuries glided lazily along the eastern shores of the Isle of Night. The casual conversation they'd been having had lulled into a peaceful silence only to be broken by a distant roar and a pillar of purple dragon fire erupting far out sea.

Hiccup snapped his head to the right as the violet light dissipated, only to be followed by another pillar appearing some distance from the first.

"Toothless?" Hiccup hissed to the dragon beneath him, "What's going on out there?"

The Nightfury glanced briefly in the direction Hiccup was pointing and grumbled back evenly between wingbeats.

" **It is father. He is leading the other Nightfuries around the borders of our territory and channelling their magic into 'The Veil' ensuring it stays strong in keeping out intruders."**

"Wow!" Hiccup exclaimed as another purple spire shimmered in the distance, "That's incredible! Do they do that every night!"

" **No! Only when our lord feels the barrier might be weakening!"** Ground-pounder cheerfully butted in as he came alongside, his ear plates flapping the salty air, his eyes glowing brightly against his dark scales, **"I guess we have** _ **you**_ **to thank for that human!"**

"What do you mean?"

" **Well if The Veil was at full strength, there is no way you would have made it through boy!"** the yellow-eyed Nightfury replied merrily, **"it was created to keep out our enemies, especially humans! You are lucky that the Great Mother and Father Spirits didn't wipe you out like all the others! Ha HA!"**

"Others?" Hiccup asked worriedly, fearing the answer.

" **Do not think you are the only human to seek out the legendary Isle of Night Hiccup!"** Scythe growled closing in from above, his many scars shinning in the moonlight as they rippled due to his beating wings **"many have come in search of this place, few have found the veil and all who have entered it….have died….except for** _ **you!"**_

"Oh…..well that's…..comforting" Hiccup drawled, unsure if his surviving 'The Veil' was seen as a good or bad thing in the opinion of his draconic guards. Still, he took solace in the fact that it was yet another first for him to achieve, thanks to the close bond he shared with Toothless.

The group flew for a few more minutes before reaching the mouth a wide river and following it inland. Soon the small flock of Nightfuries began descending to a group of pools that were separate, yet flowed into the main stream. Even in the low light Hiccup could see a thin layer of mist hovering just over the surface of the water.

" **The heat of Soulfire escapes from below the earth and heats the water"** Toothless explained as they touched down, **"there are many pools like this one all over the island!"**

Quickly dismounting, Hiccup removed Toothless' saddle and prosthetic as he cast his emerald eyes over the humid landscape that was bordered by the forest. The hot-springs were made up of many circular pools of various sizes that occupied different levels, connected by a series of channels and waterfalls, which eventually fed into the river. Feeling the wear and tear of the past few days beginning to creep up on him, Hiccup looked forward to a relaxing soak in the welcoming water that glimmered and simmered in the moonlight.

But first thing was first.

Building a small fire for extra light and unpacking his clothes, Hiccup set to work in washing his soiled garments in the hot bubbling water. As the boy mixed and rubbed his soap over the varied pieces of fabric, Eversor, Calidus, Tailspin, Raven and Ground-Pounder vanished off into the forest while Twilight, Rumble and Scythe took up various positions around the pool watching Hiccup and Toothless, who remained close by his rider at the water's edge.

As Hiccup worked he could feel the many reptilian eyes upon him and tried to ignore their intent, penetrating looks. Again he felt like some curious display set out for the dragon's entertainment.

' _Had these dragons never seen a human wash his clothes before? Why was this so fascinating to them?'_

But Hiccup didn't look up or say anything. He merely kept his eyes focused on his work, cleansing and repairing the coverings that were essential for his survival.

Once he was finished, leaving the clothes to dry on the branches of a nearby tree, Hiccup looked about as he stretched, to notice the five other Nightfuries had returned and were feasting on a variety of animals they had hunted down. As well as bubbling water, the air was full of the sounds of ripping skin, tearing flesh and crunching bones. Sounds that gave the Viking boy unsettling flashbacks to Toothless' attack on Astrid as she had been effortlessly stripped of her animal coverings and her blood drawn as easily as the dead creatures' the dragons were gleefully consuming right now.

However that was not the most unusual thing he saw. As the Nightfuries feasted, one of them got up and walked over to Toothless. As the dragon came closer, Hiccup realised it was one the females that had introduced herself earlier as Raven, called so because of the strange croaking noise she sometimes made when she spoke.

Raven had, what looked like a very large hare hanging from her jaws, which she proceeded to drop at Toothless' feet.

" **Hail to the First-born!"** The female intoned respectfully **"For his mastery of fair winds and clear skies!"**

At first Hiccup didn't find this strange in the least. For Toothless was the son of the Alpha and so would be shown such respect, especially after their aerial display. Hiccup remembered such a practice even happened back on Berk with Vikings gifting Stoick food as a sign of respect, as part of a deal or as a way of apology for a misdeed.

Toothless sniffed at the dead animal a moment, swallowed it whole and then raised his head to full height, giving the female a graceful nod, replying warmly **"For your offering, you have my thanks, may your course be true and your wings strong!"**

' _A respectful and noble response'_ Hiccup thought, impressed by the majestic bearing both dragons displayed in their interaction. Truly Toothless was of the line of royalty if this was how the other Nightfuries were to treat him in future. With the talking over, Hiccup figured Raven would return to join her draconic friends.

However what happened next, made Hiccup's brows furrow in confusion.

Rather than turn around and leave, Raven instead walked right up to Toothless and rubbed her head, neck and side along the length of his body, gently brushing his snout with her tailfins as she passed by. Stunned, Hiccup looked at his best friend's face, only to see his big acidic-green eyes wide in surprise, his body looking like it was frozen solid and his ear plates twitching involuntarily. This bewilderment continued as Raven, having reached the top of his tail, turned and came back again, making sure as much of her body rubbed up against Toothless' side as possible.

At first Hiccup was confused, but in seeing this second movement, immediately realised he had seen it before. The Nightfury Queen, Silverwing had greeted Deathwing in the same manner.

' _Was he watching an expression of endearment? Was Raven actually Toothless' mate? And why did Toothless look just bewildered as he did?'_

Raven didn't give either of the males a chance to question what was going on. With a loud draconic giggle and final swat of her tail to Toothless' nose, Raven trotted back to her fellow Nightfuries and sat down, casting a few wry glances back at the Alpha's son.

After a few moments Hiccup finally snapped out his shock and turned to look at his still frozen friend.

"Uh Toothless?" Hiccup muttered drawing his dragon's attention, "Care to explain what just happened bud?"

At first Toothless didn't look like he was actually in his own body anymore. His eyes had a somewhat vacant expression, still processing what had happened. Worried, Hiccup placed his hand gently on his friend's snout and the Nightfury visibly snapped out of his trance.

" **What?!"** the Nightfury blurted before seeming to remember Hiccup's question, **"OH...yes….Raven?...she….she just…..made…..well she just made me aware that…she was…interested….in…me!"**

Hiccup was surprised at the normally confident dragon's awkwardness and the way he stuttered out his explanation.

"Well…that's…cool isn't it?" Hiccup ventured a wry smile creeping across his lips.

" **I guess…..it is….wow!….I did not think I would make such an impression so soon after returning…"** Toothless replied, a confused expression still on his face **"….yet I feel something is….missing!"**

' _ **Yes, something was missing!'**_

Toothless could feel it! Sense it! Something very important, yet intangible. Raven's blatant sexual advance had shone a pinpoint of light on another part of Toothless' mind that had yet to fully reawaken, where the Nightfury was certain, lay yet another life shattering revelation. But he could not expand that light any further, no matter how hard he tried to focus, leading him to curse himself for his ineptitude. He knew he had mated before. But had it been with Raven or another Nightfury? Toothless was shocked to realise he did not know, no matter how hard he tried to remember. He was drawn from his reverie by Hiccup leaning smugly against his shoulder.

"You see bud!..." Hiccup crooned, his tone getting more playful and sarcastic as he spoke "…the females can't resist a Nightfury with an adorable pet human…..I knew I would be good luck for you ' _oooooh Master Of The skies!"_

Hiccup's playful jibe knocked Toothless fully out of his trance and the Nightfury saw how hard the boy was trying not burst out laughing. With an annoyed smirk of his own, Toothless placed his paw on Hiccup's chest and leaned in close, causing the boy to look afraid.

"Now Toothless…b-b-buddy don't do anything you might…..whaaaaaaaa!"

Before he could finish Hiccup found himself catapulted through the air. The sensation was thrilling but it ended abruptly as he splashed heavily into the hot-spring. Being surrounded by the warm water was like being held in a loving embrace and Hiccup let his eyes close for a moment as he sank a little deeper, savouring the relaxing heat. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and swam for the surface making sure his increasingly heavy clothes didn't drag him to the bottom of the deep pool.

Breaking the surface with a lot of coughs and splutters, Hiccup was met with several rounds of loud draconic laughter. Wiping away his thick, soggy hair from his eyes, he saw the most raucous laughter was coming from his best friend as he rolled on the ground in hysterics. Turning Hiccup saw the other Nightfuries were similarly amused by his bedraggled display.

"Very funny, you big salamander!" Hiccup drawled as he climbed out of the pool, only to be pushed back in to the water by Toothless who continued to laugh heartily.

" **Verily it is Hiccup! ha ha ha Verily it is! At least the last of your coverings are clean**!" Toothless declared jovially.

Once again Hiccup came back to the water's edge but stayed just out of range of the dragon's reach, laughing loudly at himself along with the dragons. Then piece by piece, Hiccup peeled off the clothes he was wearing, laying them on the rocks that lined the edge of the pool, closest the fire. Hopefully they would be dry by the time they were done, especially his boots, as he didn't want to trudge around with soggy feet and thus possibly get ill.

Eventually all that Hiccup had on was his underwear, but when he went to remove it he suddenly remembered the presence of the 8 other Nightfuries besides Toothless, that were still watching him very intently. Hiccup was sure they could see every line and contour of his scrawny, weak body, especially with the extra light the fire provided. Feeling incredibly self-conscious, Hiccup wasted no time in diving back under the surface of the water to hide his scarred, fishbone frame from the perfectly formed beasts that surrounded him.

Now he _really_ felt he was a piece of meat on display!

A rather pathetic piece of meat at that. Hiccup began to feel so bad, Toothless could clearly see the waves of azure blue self-loathing, spread out from his aura. Already painfully aware of the child's insecurities Toothless wasted no time in grabbing one of the boys large wash rags and diving in to the pool. Toothless swam around Hiccup, thrashing his wings and rolling his body in the warm water to distract the uncertain boy.

" **You are not done cleaning Hiccup!"** The Nightfury warbled playfully, draping the wash rag over the boy's head, **"There is still much blood on my scales that needs to be removed!"**

Seeing Hiccup smile, pulling the cloth off of his shaggy auburn hair, made the Nightfury warble with happiness as his melancholic aura returned to the happy yellow shade Toothless desired.

"OK, come here bud!" Hiccup called as he wrung out the cloth and began running it over Toothless' scaly hide. Starting at the Nightfury's head, Hiccup scrubbed as hard as he could to remove the dark crimson residue of his combat with Nightbreaker. Toothless continued to blow water out of his snout and thrash playfully as Hiccup worked, turning what would have been a dull chore into a playful wrestling match. Every so often, Toothless would gently pounce on or dunk the boy under the water only for Hiccup to swim underneath the dragon and pop up on the other side. Hiccup would then climb up on the dragon's back to between Toothless' wings and hold on for dear life as the Nightfury tried to and always succeeded in gently throwing him off again.

This game continued for quite a while, long after Toothless knew he was clean. All the while Hiccup laughed and howled with joy, cavorting with his friend in the relaxing, soothing water, forgetting all of his previous insecurities. The Nightfuries on the banks of the pool had fallen into a fascinated silence as they witnessed their Alpha's firstborn rolling around in the water with the carefree abandon of a hatchling.

And with a human no less!

It was a simultaneously fascinating and disturbing sight. And yet, no matter how wrong it seemed to look and sound and feel, there was an air of 'rightness' to the way this dragon and his boy interacted. It warmed the dragon's hearts to see Toothless so happy, especially Raven, who admired Toothless even more, already picturing him playing with their future hatchlings in a similar way.

' _ **Once the human boy was no longer part of the equation of course!**_ **'** Raven thought, _**'But that would happen in due time. No sense in upsetting Toothless prematurely. Lord Deathwing would get rid of the human…..she was pretty sure of it…regardless of how cute and harmless the boy was…..…and then Raven would be in the best position to console the First-born as his new mate.**_

Raven's mind played out the best possible scenario if that happened

' _ **If she followed her instincts and kept Toothless' eyes on her before**_ _ **that other one**_ _ **got involved, then things would go well! Her main rival had not shown her face yet for reasons everyone well knew and Toothless and not sought her out. So right now Raven had the best chance, striking first by gifting Toothless that hare and demonstrating her affections. She had always admired, even loved Toothless since they were hatchlings and she was not going to miss this chance to attain her heart's desire. Not again! And if she truly did win Toothless' affections, then she might even become the next queen of the nest!'**_

Such things teased and tantalised Raven's conscious and sub-conscious thought while she watched Toothless' large frame bend and flex as the water poured over him, running in rivulets between his well-defined muscles. Truly he was an exceptional specimen of a dragon and Raven noticed that even Tailspin was staring at Toothless with a slight ' _want'_ in her eyes. But Raven was not overly worried about the other female. Though Tailspin was an accomplished flier, the two had sparred during previous mating seasons and Raven had always come out on top. Moreover, Raven knew Tailspin harboured real affections for a different male Nightfury. Toothless would simply be a trophy for Tailspin, while Raven would actually care for and support Toothless if he would accept her.

And in her rapidly beating heart, Raven promised she would try her upmost to make sure that would be the case.

Eventually the play drew to an end and Hiccup made his way over to the far edge of the pool where a waterfall poured down from a spring higher up, Toothless following close behind. The boy cast an uncertain glance at the other Nightfuries over Toothless' shoulder as he nervously wrung his hands as they hovered near his undergarments. Sensing the boy's apprehension, Toothless fanned out his wings as wide as they could go, effectively blocking the boy from his kin's sight. Casting a knowing look at Hiccup, Toothless closed his eyes and lowered his head giving Hiccup the privacy he desired.

"Thanks bud", was all Hiccup could say.

Not wanting His dragon friend to strain his wings, Hiccup quickly removed his underwear and with soap and wash rag in hand, he stepped under the waterfall and began washing himself. Hiccup revelled in the constant, heavy pressure of the water as it cascaded through his hair while he vigorously scraped his hands over his scalp, before it ran over his shoulders and down his back. The crashing sounds and the pulsing weight of the water was a pleasant pressure which did alot to ease the tension in the boy's shoulders. As with flying, Hiccup felt his problems melting away to issues that were not as insurmountable as he first thought. He even took the chance to inspect his wounds which seemed to be fully healed thanks to his medicines and Toothless' constant ministrations with his healing saliva. The only things that seemed to mar his small, thin frame were the many faded scars he had picked up on Berk during his many years of neglect, abuse and forge-work. As much as Hiccup wished it, he knew neither Toothless nor the waterfall would ever wash those marks away. Hiccup shook his head in the waterfall, trying to shake away the unpleasant memories of his past sneaking up on him and for the most part it worked. After a few minutes Hiccup was done and quickly pulled his underwear on again before giving Toothless an affectionate pat on his snout. The dragon opened his eyes and raised his head, a look of warm satisfaction in his gaze.

"Thanks for bringing me here bud!" Hiccup said warmly "I really needed….."

A sharp draconic bark in the sky above them interrupted Hiccup and as he furrowed his brow to figure out what it meant, a swooshing sound was heard before…..

" _ **SPLAT!"**_

Hiccup jolted forward as something soft impacted across the back of his neck and shoulders. Turning his head to examine what had hit him, Hiccup had no time when another bark, closer now, made him snap his head directly upwards. The same swooshing noise was heard and all Hiccup could make out in the dark sky was a green substance that got closer and closer to him. Before he could even think to react, Hiccup was completely blinded as…..

" _ **SPLAT**_ _ **!"**_

Hiccup dropped his head sharply as the force of the impact stung his face, snapping his hands up out of reflex to protect his eyes. After a few moments the numbing shock of the impact wore off and the rest of Hiccup's acute senses kicked in. Removing his hands and tentatively opening his eyes, Hiccup realised that he was now covered in a warm, thick and sticky substance. A quick breath nearly made him gag as he realised the darkening green goo smelt absolutely putrid.

Hiccup became transfixed on the stuff as it ran down his fingers and he could feel it seeping into his hair and oozing down his back.

It felt disgusting. Hiccup felt disgusting.

Shivering with shock, Hiccup turned to Toothless and saw that his friend's eyes were wide with horror and his large jaw hung slack, like it was about to fall off. Neither of the two were capable of speech. They both knew what had happened and yet neither could articulate it. It was too disgusting to even contemplate.

Yeah….. _disgusting_ ….that was _indeed_ the word.

Hiccup returned his gaze to the substance in his hands and taking another sniff of the foul smelling muck, Hiccup finally allowed his brain to acknowledge what had happened.

 _ **A Nightfury had dropped a massive amount of Dragon shit right on top of him!**_

* * *

 **There you are guys.**

 **Once more this chapter is a two-parter as it came out longer than planned due the unforeseen interaction with Raven and Toothless. It's quite interesting building this world as new aspects jump out at the most unforeseen times. Plus there's a lot to deal with, considering what just happened.**

 **There's lots more to come and in the next chapter we see the aftermath.**

 **As always, comments, reviews, P.M's and questions as greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other**

 **Razor95**


	24. Night-swimming PT2

**Greetings all!**

 **Thanks so much for the reaction to the last chapter. It was really difficult to write and I wasn't sure if I went too far. But things are meant to be tough for our hero, aren't they?**

 **I hope you had an enjoyable new year and the coming year brings you all new opportunities and new chapters for new fan fictions. There have been so many new writers and original stories appear this past while, it always thrills me to come online and read something that scratches my dragon itch.**

 **Anyway, that said let's get on with the story as we deal with the aftermath of the attack on Hiccup.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 24 Night-swimming – Part 2**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons – Part VII)**_

 _ **Last time Toothless and Hiccup flew to some hot-springs to clean up.**_

 _ **While there, Raven, a female Nightfury who loves Toothless declared her interest in him.**_

 _ **But after washing, Hiccup had a pile of dragon dung dropped on him by an unknown assailant.**_

 _ **How will the boy and dragon react to this**_

 _ **humiliation?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 **Shock.**

In the silence of the hot springs, that was the most palpable feeling that could be felt in the humid air as Hiccup stood frozen in place, caked in repulsive smelling dung. The only thing that smelt worse than the thick residue, was the practically literal smell of embarrassment and humiliation that radiated off the heart-broken teen.

A scuffling sound alerted Hiccup to his other Nightfury observers who were now on their feet, but still in their spot at the opposite side of the spring. Though he couldn't see their faces properly, he could hear they were coughing and spluttering, not making any kind of intelligible sounds, Dragoneese or otherwise. It seemed things got too much and, as one, the entire group unceremoniously took off and darted away into the distance. It was so chaotic no-one noticed Twilight and Scythe, slip into the undergrowth to continue watching, their faces like stone, senses fixed on their Alpha's first-born and his pet human.

At first Hiccup was glad they were gone and let himself relax slightly.

However, the boy jumped when the air was suddenly penetrated by a massive chorus of raucous, hysterical dragon laughter. Hiccup's body began to shiver in time to the laughs as they echoed off the rock walls on either side of the river bank and faded away into the distance. Hiccup acknowledged that to someone who didn't know him or the life he had lived might have found the scenario amusing.

Still that didn't mean their reaction didn't hurt his feelings. In fact it hurt a lot.

By now Toothless seemed to have recovered from the shock. His acid-green eyes, once wide with stupefaction were now rounded, brimming with sadness and his jaw was pulled shut as a whimpered groan escaped him.

All Hiccup could do was stare at his friend. Despite being a clever human, Hiccup had no idea what to do…what to say. He had been subject to some similarly vile torments in the stables on Berk, but _this_ kind of behaviour coming from Nightfuries? He was woefully unprepared for them being capable of such things and Hiccup was lost now. Every pleasing thought, action and sensation he had felt this past evening had been sucked into some invisible vortex from which they could never be retrieved. And it felt, no matter what he did in the future, even _those_ feelings of happiness would be forever tainted.

Toothless saw the lost look in Hiccup's eyes. Bright forest-green eyes made even more noticeable, as the majority of his pale, freckled face was now covered in the dark excrement. The thoughts of sorrow the dragon felt were quickly overwhelmed by thoughts of anger and vengeance. Finally, finding his ability to move, a growl built up in Toothless' throat as his eyes narrowed in rage. Spinning around, Toothless let out a massive roar that scattered birds from the trees and terrified every creature for miles around.

" **HOW DARE YOU!"** Toothless screeched, his ire unassailable.

"…..toothless…."

" **HOW DARE YOU DO SUCH A VILE, UNDERHANDED THING?! YOU DESPICABLE, EVIL, DISGUSTING, EEL-SLITHERING, EGG EATERS!"** The black dragon stumbled through the water trying to fire plasma bolts randomly into the sky only to see them prematurely fizzle out, the moisture from the springs negating his ability to fire. Seeing his own impotence only made the dragon angrier and while uttering several more draconic profanities, he slammed his huge claws into the water as if to punish it for hindering him.

"….Toothless…."

" **YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! I SWEAR IT!"** The Nightfury howled, as he unleashed yet another roar.

"TOOTHLESS!"

Hiccups' shout drew the Nightfury from his ranting and the dragon turned back to look at his boy.

The teen looked thoroughly wretched.

From his shit-stained skin, to his sorrowful eyes, to his slumped shoulders and bowed head. Hiccup's eyes were locked on the dragon and the Nightfury clambered forward eager to comfort the boy. But Hiccup stopped him, holding out his soiled hand, his eyes still firmly on the dragon, his erratic breathing hitching and stuttering.

"Toothless….what does _'Heeso'_ mean?" Hiccup whispered, a knowing look in his eyes

Toothless cocked his head in worry, not wanting to give an answer to the connection his clever boy seemed to have made.

" _Heeso_ …..that's what…Midnight called me…..What. Does. It. Mean?" Hiccup repeated, infuriated at the dragon's lack of response.

" **Hiccup please….."** Toothless begged, not wanting to hurt Hiccup more than he already had been.

"TELL ME!" the boy yelled, his exasperation reaching boiling point.

" **It's…..an** _ **'Old Tongue'**_ **word…."** The dragon began tentatively, hoping to steer the boy in a different direction **"…..** _ **'Old Tongue'**_ **is an ancient dragon language, older even than Dragoneese….."**

"Toothless!" Hiccup snapped, not wanting to be side-tracked.

" **It means…"** Toothless let out a heavy sigh of defeat and dipped his head **"…** _ **Stinker…..**_ **."**

"Okay" Hiccup muttered, his head nodding in disappointment, his arms now limp at his side "that's…..pretty much what I figured"

" **Hiccup…"** Toothless began taking another step, hoping to console his upset friend **, "I'm going to make….."**

"We need to head back!" Hiccup interrupted, halting the dragon's movements yet again, not only with his curt tone but his dead expressionless stare "…could you…..gather up my clothes for me while I….get cleaned up?"

" **Trust me Hiccup, when I find out who did this, I will make them pay!"** Toothless growled **.**

"No bud!…" Hiccup's voice was threatening to crack, such was his pleading to the Nightfury, "I don't want to fight anyone…I'm not hurt…I'm Okay…I just….. _I just wanna go home_ …..please Toothless!"

With that, Hiccup turned his back to the Nightfury and stepped into the waterfall again to wash the dragon-dung off of his hair and skin. Feeling the dragon splash away through the shallows to the other side of the hot-spring, the Viking boy then thanked all the gods for the waterfall. Not only did the cascading water hide his tears, its crashing noise disguised his whimpering sobs and the pulsing waves, made it hard to distinguish the boy's heaving shoulders. As he ran his hands over himself, clawing off large clumps of excrement, Hiccup desperately tried to reign in the over-powering feelings of humiliation and self-loathing that were currently ravaging him from the inside-out.

Dark thoughts began to creep into the boy's mind. Dark and dangerous thoughts. Thoughts he would have to act on to preserve his sanity, but also maybe his life.

Toothless did not for one moment believe what Hiccup said. The boy's aura spoke volumes for how distressed he was and nothing could deny how worthless Hiccup was feeling right now. And like the boy, Toothless wanted to get Hiccup back to their home as quickly as possible. However, as Toothless darted around the shore, deftly swiping the boy's clothes off the tree branches and rock ledges, placing them in his wolf-skin sack, a thought struck the Nightfury.

' _ **Which home did Hiccup mean? Was it the cave they shared here? Or did Hiccup mean his old home on Berk?!'**_

Toothless whined involuntarily as he considered the possibility that Hiccup actually wanted to return to the horrible place that had been his prison for fifteen years. It scared and infuriated the Nightfury that things were so bad, not even two days into their arrival here. If things continued at this rate Hiccup wouldn't want to stay here anymore. And that would open up an entire nest full of fire-worms Toothless didn't even want to contemplate right now. As he snatched glances at the boy, systematically removing the dragon dung in the waterfall and Hiccup's pale natural skin tone return, Toothless felt the horrifying realisation…

…he was breaking his promise to Hiccup!

 _ **He had promised the boy a new life. Vowed to himself that he would do his utmost to guarantee it! He was a Nightfury, an Alpha-line dragon, the heir to the throne and he was failing yet again! He couldn't stand it! This feeling of failure….of powerlessness! It was becoming like before…..when he served HER!**_

Toothless' sight of Hiccup and the hot-springs melted away as oppressive, violent, fiery images flashed painfully through his mind and a familiar voice wracked his ears so much, the Nightfury visibly slipped to the ground cringing, trying to bury his head in his paws.

" _ **ONCE AGAIN YOU FAIL MY LITTLE NIGHTCHILD! HA HA HA!"**_

Six malicious eyes burned out of the haze at him, making Toothless feel small and weak.

" **I did not fail!"**

The Nightfury protested, trying fruitlessly to escape that contemptuous glare.

" _ **IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT TO ME, DO YOU REMEMBER HOW I REWARD FAILURE?!"**_

The voice questioned humorously.

" **No please, not again!"**

Toothless whined in a hoarse whisper.

" _ **YES! AGAIN!..."**_

The voice snapped back, her authority as absolute as her cruelty,

" _ **BECAUSE YOU CAN DO NOTHING BUT FAIL….**_

 _ **EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NO LONGER HERE…YOU PROVE IT**_

… _ **.IT BRINGS ME SUCH PLEASURE! HA HAH HA!"**_

Toothless couldn't even think of a response.

The familiar memory of an Alpha's power crushed him like a tidal wave of will-power as the voice persisted gleefully.

" _ **YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT ME!**_

 _ **AT LEAST WITH ME YOU KNEW WHAT TO DO!**_

 _ **HERE, YOU ARE JUST A CRIPPLED PIECE OF MEAT!**_

 _ **NOT WORTHY TO CALL HIMSELF A NIGHTFURY!"**_

" **I hate you!"**

Toothless wheezed out with barely repressed contempt.

" _ **MAYBE SO!"**_

The all-powerful voice replied coolly, unmoved by the insult before becoming red hot with fiery malice,

 _" **BUT THEY WILL ALL HATE YOU, ONCE THEY FIND OUT WHAT YOU DID FOR ME! HA HAH HA HA!"**_

" **No they won't! Because I won't tell them! I won't, I won't, I won't! I WON'T!"**

Toothless shivered. Of all the memories he had lost, why couldn't he have forgotten what he had done for that evil Queen?

" _ **LOOK AT YOURSELF!"**_

The voice leaned closer now, its condescending tone showing its owner revelled in Toothless' misery

" _ **WHIMPERING ON THE FLOOR LIKE A BLIND, NEW-BORN HATCHLING,**_

 _ **TERRIFIED OF JUST A VOICE IN YOUR HEAD!**_

 _ **ONCE YOUR FAMILY FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE,**_

 _ **ONCE THE CHILD LEARNS OF YOUR PAST,**_

 _ **EVEN HE WILL ABANDON YOU AND**_

 _ **YOU WILL COME CRAWLING BACK TO ME!**_

The cringing Nightfury's eyes clamped shut even harder

at the thought of losing not only his family,

but also Hiccup because of his past misdeeds.

 _ **BECOME WHAT YOU ONCE WERE!**_

 _ **BECOME WHAT MADE YOU MY PRIZED NIGHT-CHILD!**_

 _ **KILL THE BOY! BRING ME YOUR KIN AND SERVE ME ONCE MORE!"**_

" **I swear…One day, I will be free of you!"**

Toothless growled, his whole body quaking with rage as the earth began to shake slightly around him.

" _ **FREE?! HA!**_

The voice snorted back derisively, blowing the memory of sulphur tainted air through his senses.

 _ **IT WAS YOUR DESIRE TO BE FREE THAT BROUGHT YOU TO ME!**_

 _ **YOU KNOW THE TRUTH!**_

 _ **ONLY AS MY SLAVE ARE YOU TRULY FREE!"**_

" **I...am….I am…free!"**

The Nightfury replied, despite lying prostrated on the ground.

" _ **DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF!**_

As the three pairs of luminous eyes narrowed, the darkness between them gave birth to a wide gaping maw,

filled with giant, dragon sized teeth and a burning cauldron of swirling, inescapable balefire.

 _ **YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOUR CHOICES FOR YOU,**_

 _ **YOU NEED ME TO MAKE YOUR CHOICES FOR YOU!**_

 _ **YOU NEEEEEEEEEEEEEED ME! HA HAH HA!**_

The roaring, mocking laughter as the voice hissed her words at him were all Toothless could stand.

His rage had grown beyond his control and all he could feel was the urge to rip this

horrid, self –created, apparition to shreds,

then find the real thing and do the exact same thing to it,

ending this cycle of torture he had endured once and for all.

Summoning up what remained of his will, Toothless opened his mouth and yelled.

" **I!...DON'T!...NEED!...YOU!"**

As he shouted those words Toothless' eyes snapped open and he lunged forward, only to come face to face with a confused and startled Hiccup. The boy was standing, fully dressed in his damp clothes with his wolf-pelt sack in hand and was breathing as heavily as he was. Toothless' ragged breathing was all that could be heard and the Nightfury shook his head to clear away the remnants of the figment of his imagination enticing him to murder the child as atonement for leaving his former master. Though it wasn't the queens real voice he heard, but merely the guilt those memories of her conjured, Toothless could not help being scared that he might actually harbour such dark and sinister thoughts.

Hiccup stared back at the dragon, frozen to the spot in fear that Toothless had come an inch's breath from attacking him. Once he had cleaned himself in the waterfall and ceased his pitiful sobbing, the Viking teen had made his way back, only to see his beloved Nightfury lying on the ground muttering and growling unintelligibly. Hoping to snap the dragon from his strange trance Hiccup was going to place his hand on Toothless' snout to comfort him, only for the Nightfury to spring up and yell in his face.

Toothless realised Hiccup had only heard the last thing he said as the boy looked personally hurt, so the Nightfury quickly checked his stance and sat back on his haunches, head lowered in apology.

" **I am sorry boy…a memory…stuck in my thoughts…the….the queen!"**

"Really?" Hiccup's eyes widened in concern as he came closer, "Are you ok? You seemed pretty out of it bud!"

" **I will be fine Hiccup"** the Nightfury warbled warmly, as he looked off into the air behind him, **"As soon as I take care of some personal business!"**

Hiccup, troubled by Nightfury's cryptic words, really not wanting Toothless to do something dangerous, placed his hand on Toothless' shoulder drawing the dragon's attention back to him, "as long as you're not planning to do something crazy or stupid! I think we've both done enough of that tonight bud!"

Toothless simply nodded and lowered himself down as Hiccup began reattaching the dragon's saddle and prosthetic. As he worked, strapping leather panels and connecting rods along Toothless' side, Hiccup spoke.

"Listen Toothless…Do you think…tomorrow…you could help me with something?"

" **Of course I….oh!"** The Nightfury faltered.

"What?...What oh?" Hiccup paused as he fed a thick band of leather through its Iron buckle.

" **I have been ordered to go hunting with my brother Shade",** Toothless crooned apologetically, **"Father has commanded it, so it must be done."**

"So it must be done!" intoned the boy in response, now knowing full well just how powerful the Alpha's command was. His frustration at his current set of circumstances suddenly seeped through and Hiccup gave a sharp tug on the strap he was holding, securing it a lot tighter to his dragon he knew Toothless was comfortable with, before pulling himself into the saddle and securing his safety lines.

" **But you should call upon my brother Nightbreaker!"** Toothless yipped, hiding his discomfort of the unusually tight leather rig, **"He will give you all the help you need until I can come and assist you. He will like you, You will see, trust me he will!"**

"Sure bud. Right, let's get back!" Hiccup said almost dismissively as he opened the tailfin mechanism and the two shot into the air, back towards the Nightfury nest.

As before, neither boy nor dragon noticed Twilight and Scythe emerge from their hiding place.

" **This is not good!"** Twilight whined in distress.

" **Indeed my princess"** Scythe replied, his scarred eyes unable to see the diminishing form of Shadow and his human rider anymore, **"already the child makes enemies and causes your brother pain! The sooner he is dismissed the better!"**

" **No Scythe, there is more going on here than we know!"** Twilight retorted urgently **"We need simply wait and find out what! We also need to find my younger sister and brother so we can put end to their foolish antics before it gets them killed!"**

" **They will be in the company of the Alpha by now, if I know them**." Scythe replied with utmost certainty.

" **Good! Then we shall go and consult with my father!"** Twilight declared imperiously as she stepped forward and fanned out her wings to take flight, " **Scythe!"** Twilight barked, **"Seek out Nightbreaker at his cave. Tell him to meet me at the Alpha's den. We have reports to give and I would prefer we arrived together!"**

" **As you wish my lady!"** Scythe responded before bowing. And like the boy and dragon before them the two Nightfuries launched into the sky, their missions for the night far from over.

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, in the sky, a few minutes later)**_

The flight back to the cave was deathly silent and seemed to frustrate both dragon and boy to no end.

Hiccup had done such good job of cleaning the dragon dung off of himself, Toothless could not fully pick out the scent of the dragon, or dragons, that had humiliated him so. And that made the Nightfury constantly growl indignantly as they passed over waves and cliffs towards the nest. There was still a faint scent of waste the boy would be unable to notice but all the other Nightfuries would easily pick up on with their enhanced senses. Obviously to embarrass the child even more, once they were amongst the rest of the clan. Toothless had a pretty strong hunch a certain small, blue-eyed, malicious, stuck-up little Nightfury was responsible and vowed to break words with her very soon on the matter.

But the most aggravating thing that irked the dragon was Hiccup's attitude, which just made it all even worse for Toothless.

' _ **If someone wronged you, or insulted your honour then was it not fair that you should seek some form of restitution?**_ **'** The Nightfury reasoned to himself. _**'Nothing too extreme like pain or death. Such a thing would be impractical. But at least an apology or vengeance of a similar nature?'**_

But it seemed Hiccup wouldn't even seek that. Toothless had seen the boy's tolerance levels and capacity for forgiveness many times and always admired him for it. But now it looked like his rider had lost all willingness to fight back or even consider revenge, even when it was totally justified. This was more than just being a forgiving soul, this was weakness and it burned the Nightfury from within. Toothless hated himself and his kind for reducing his boy to feeling and acting so weak, when he knew Hiccup was far stronger than that.

' _ **What was he going to do to keep his promise?'**_

As the Nightfury beneath him quietly railed against the unfair nature of the world, in the saddle, Hiccup was reeling from the older dragons laughing at him. Even Twilight, Rumble and Scythe had abandoned him and he thought he had made good progress with them. Yet Twilight herself had stated, that despite what she wanted, if she was ordered to abandon him, she would. And now it appeared that even Toothless seemed to be slipping away from him. He could see a gap opening up between them and it was slowly, but surely being filled, one Nightfury after another pushing him further from his friend. If Toothless was indeed restored to independent flight, Hiccup knew he would be, as Midnight said, left behind to fall back into miserable, useless obscurity.

Then there were the dark thoughts that plagued Toothless. The dragon would never really elaborate on them and so Hiccup felt like he still wasn't fully trusted by his own best friend. In defeat Hiccup hung his head and steered them back to the nest almost without thinking or even looking, gauging the subtle movements of the dragon beneath and adjusting the tailfin accordingly.

Though the bond remained strong between them in the air, it seemed the boy and dragon were only bonded by their collective misery and frustrations. A feeling that haunted them as they flew swiftly back to their cave.

As soon as they arrived Hiccup, without a word, hung up his still damp clothes from the various holes and ledges 'Old Lonesome' had carved, weighing them down with rocks to ensure they didn't end up dirty again. That done the Viking boy then loosened the straps that Toothless found uncomfortable, by way of apologising to his large friend for taking some his stress out on him. In the dark of the night, Hiccup's little fire-pit was still empty and lifeless so Toothless, seeking to help his friend, introduced Hiccup to one of the more basic geological wonders The Isle of Night had to offer.

Fire-stones.

Taking a large rock from outside, the Nightfury struck it on the ground ensuring it gave off sparks like a flint. At first nothing happened and Hiccup was about to utter a sarcastic jibe, only for flames to erupt around the seemingly lifeless stone. Awestruck, Hiccup tried to reach out and touch the burning rock only for Toothless to flick it away with his claws until it nestled in the centre of the fire-pit, casting it's pleasant warmth and glow to fill the entire cave. Neither dragon nor boy looked or spoke to each other. Their day had been exhausting on every level and there didn't seem to anyway they could even begin a conversation without staying up the entire night.

So they said nothing and after taking some more Myrtle root, the boy and dragon took what little solace they could from each other's company. Hiccup sat between the Nightfuries forelegs, leaning back against Toothless' chest simply staring at the fascinating fire-stone as it pulsed with energy and light. As the night wore on, the barks and yips of the nest became more energetic and dozens of Nightfuries walked past the cave mouth, stealing fascinated or disgusted glances at the strange pair dwelling within. There wasn't much an increasingly annoyed Toothless could do to stop it, for getting angry or too vocal would disturb Hiccup who was slipping in and out of consciousness. Eventually the boy had leaned to the side and had his arms wrapped around the Nightfury's front foreleg, head resting on his large paw. Taking the opportunity to sleep as well, Toothless eased himself to the floor and brought his head to rest over the child's back as he snoozed.

Toothless wanted nothing more than to recapture the previous feelings of contentment they shared when they slept together.

But Hiccup's mind wouldn't let him rest well. The shifting of the dragon around him had woken Hiccup enough to finally prompt the boy to say something which he felt he had to, either to give the dragon comfort or get some reassurance from the large reptile. Taking a deep breath his words came out barely above a groggy whisper.

"Toothless?"

" **Yes Hiccup?"** the dragon whispered back.

"Will you always need me?"

Though the large dragon made no vocal response, the boy that lay with his head on his paw, facing away could feel the ripple of tension course through Toothless at hearing the question. The silence was unbearable so Hiccup whispered again, a pleading tone creeping into his cracked voice.

"I mean…if you didn't need me to fly anymore…..and you…you had all your Alpha stuff to do… you'd still want me around…wouldn't you?"

For the longest time it seemed the Nightfury wasn't going to dignify the boy's question with an answer and Hiccup's suspicion he was losing his best friend and the horrible things Midnight had said seemed confirmed. Eventually his usefulness would run out and if Deathwing didn't get rid of him, it was almost certain another Nightfury or even Toothless himself would.

Hiccup could feel his chest begin to convulse as the onset of crying began to take hold of him again. But he suddenly found himself feeling warmer as the Nightfury tightened its grip around his body and pulled him closer. Hiccup could feel the dragon's-heart thumping rhythmically as the Nightfury began rubbing his head soothingly across his back and a pair of vast black wings wrapped around them both.

The words Hiccup heard were not spoken audibly. They resonated out from the core of the black mass he was in and broke into his mind as gently, but as unstoppable, as a wave washing serenely upon the sand. Hiccup's body did not cease its whimpering shudders. His sorrowful reaction to the day's turmoil turned to convulsions of relief when he heard Toothless speak warmly and directly into his mind.

" **No matter what happens to me…to us…..I will always…..ALWAYS…need….you!"**

And with that, both troubled souls eased in their struggles and fell into a deep yet uncertain sleep. They knew for sure the next day would bring fresh hardships and trials, they just did not know what they would be and who would be their architect.

And all they had for comfort was a glowing fire-stone and each other which, for some unnerving reason, wasn't as fulfilling as it used to be.

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **And so the division begins! Things are still gonna get rough for the pair in future but that's fun for another day.**

 **Next time, we meet up with Toothless' family as they discuss the day's events and more in chapter called 'Shadow Council!'**

 **As always many thanks for taking the time to read this fic as loads of stuff is just coming out of left field sometimes and any reviews, comments P.M's or questions are greatly appreciated. I try to respond to all my reviewers so I look forward to conversing with you all.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	25. Shadow Council!

**Hey all!**

 **Many thanks for the great and varied feedback on the last chapter. There's certainly loads going on and I wanted to get the ball rolling on Hiccup and Toothless' trials of friendship.**

 **Now it's time for a family to get together and talk stuff over which even in real life can be insane.**

 **A.N. Toothless will referred to as 'Shadow' in this chapter as the Nightfuries still don't accept his change in name yet.**

 **With that said,**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return Of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 25 – Shadow Council!**_

 _ **(the School of Dragons – Part VIII)**_

 _ **Last time we saw Hiccup and Toothless' reactions to Hiccup being humiliated and how it's affected their friendship.**_

 _ **Now we return to Toothless' family in Deathwing's den as they discuss the return of their lost son**_

 _ **What will they say?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, in a cave on the other side of the nest, in the den of the Alpha)**_

" **He has an axe with him my lord. One that he claims to have crafted himself!"** The female Nightfury replied.

" **So, he is capable of making weapons and war! How typically** _ **human!"**_

Deathwing scraped his claws down the wall of his cave in agitation following Twilight's report to him. The task of re-enforcing the protective qualities of 'The Veil' had taxed the Alpha heavily, leaving him feeling drained and irritable. Since the arrival of Twilight and Nightbreaker, they had been talking for quite some time, going over the events of past two days spawning from Shadow's and Hiccup's arrival.

The Alpha stood on a slightly raised platform of rock at edge of the vast yet low cavern as he surveyed his family, consisting of his Queen Silverwing who lay idly beside him while Twilight, Nightbreaker and Shade stood in front of him. Darkwing, the Alpha's brother hovered by the entrance, listening intently to the conversation and making sure Calidus and Eversor maintained their guarding posts just outside. Not that anyone would try to sneak in, but Darkwing's paranoia was currently in overdrive since the human stepped foot on his homeland.

" **Indeed"** Twilight replied dismissively, **"but for a Viking he isn't warlike at all father and his axe is now in Old Lonesome's custody."**

" **I told you not to call him that my daughter!"** Deathwing groaned **, "He is hardly** _ **'old!'**_ **He is only a few years older than you! Hmmm, what else is there about the child?"**

" **Apologies father, I will call him by his real name next time"** Twilight relied bowing slightly in contrition before her eyes re-opened, now dazzling with life as she recalled the pictures of herself the boy had crafted. **"Hiccup is a very creative child. More so than any others of his kind. He can draw beautifully and he loves it. When he does something he loves, his defences fall like grass in the wind. I was able to analyse him thoroughly while he was distracted with his art!"**

" **And what did you see in him?"** Deathwing rumbled, bringing his head closer to his daughter in anticipation.

" **As I said when we first met, there is** _ **a lot**_ **of pain in him** ", Twilight replied sadly, **"a storm of untapped aggression roils in his heart waiting for the slightest opportunity to be unleashed. Already some of it has broken through and he just barely keeps it in check. I fear for the soul that finally breaks the dam of such hatred!"**

" **Not someone we want to have in our midst again brother!"** Darkwing growled as he paced in agitation, large claws clicking on the floor. **"If he struck at us like the last one did I doubt any of us would survive!"**

" **Agreed!"** Deathwing intoned grimlyas he ran his paw down the perfectly straight scar on his exposed neck, shuddering as he remembered how it came to be there, **"if the child's rage is as potent as you say Twilight, his stay here should be as brief as possible."**

" **Father WAIT! There is more!"** Twilight raised her voice in earnest reclaiming the Alpha's attention. " **Yes he has an ocean of anger and pain in him. But oceans have** _ **depths**_ **and** _ **limits**_ **. Above all of this is an infinitely, sky-sized desire to please, to be wanted, to be needed and loved, to have a place to belong and be counted worthy for who he is, free of ridicule and prejudice. To achieve such a thing, I know for certain the boy would do literally** _ **anything**_ **and I believe we would all profit from his efforts. He has shown me he has the potential to be worthy of this place!"**

" **You speak very highly of the human Twilight!"** Shade snorted derisively **"Do I sense an** _ **emotional attachment**_ **forming here? Perhaps you want the boy to be** _ **your**_ **pet instead?"**

Twilight snapped her head around to face her younger brother and rose to her feet, wings fanning out slightly. Taking a few steps towards him, her jaws contorted into a slight snarl **"If you mean, am I becoming biased in my mission? Then NO! I am still prepared to follow the Alpha's decree whatever he decides!"** She growled as she adopted a more imperious pose before Shade, who had backed off a few paces at her display, **"I would remind you of a on old Viking saying the elder Obsidian used to tell us! '** _ **It is always the quietest ones that snap the loudest!**_ **' If we push the boy to breaking point then it will end in death, I am sure of it!"**

" **I see….."** Deathwing muttered thoughtfully, drawing Twilight's gaze back to him as she continued speaking with even more fervour.

" **And sending him away is not the answer either! Not only will it hurt the boy, but it will hurt Shadow and it will hurt all of us in time!"** Twilight let her words hang in the air as she silently stepped forward and placed her smaller front paw on top of Deathwing's huge front paw. The Nightfury King looked down at his daughter who returned his gaze unflinchingly as both of their cores thrummed in a matching resonance, **"I only speak so passionately because I see the truth in him my Alpha!"** Twilight said quietly, **"he loves our brother very deeply and I have observed when Shadow's eyes are on him they are filled with warmth and a returned love. It is the bond between them that has made them as strong as they are! _You_ would not wish to be separated from one that _you_ love?"**

Neither Deathwing nor Twilight was lost on the implication of her words as she cast a sideways glance at Silverwing when she asked her question. Deathwing briefly considered what he would do to keep his Queen and consort by his side and without a moment's hesitation found his answer.

' _Anything!'_

Pulling his head back up again Deathwing smiled at his daughter as she stepped back to her original place to stand beside Nightbreaker and Shade. **"Thank-you for your report Twilight",** the Alpha intoned warmly, **"Keep close to Hiccup and report back with any more observations you make. I would know this child inside and out before I make my decision!"**

" **Of course my Alpha!"** Twilight barked in obedience as she sat down, the images of her paper-bound form returning to her mind's eye, making her smile slightly while Deathwing turned his gaze to the Nightfury next to her.

" **And what of my son Nightbreaker?"** Deathwing rumbled, **"What of my young Shadow?"**

" **He is…stronger yet…..not as he once was!"** Nightbreaker cooed with worry, **"Our sparring showed me, though he is agile and powerful, swift and cunning, he is unbalanced, uncertain and obsessed with the boy to distraction!"**

" **Yet he demonstrated amazing control during this evening's flight!"** Deathwing countered warmly, his heart swelling with pride at his son's display. **"Keep training with him when he is not hunting with Shade!"** Deathwing ordered, noting the enthusiastic wagging of Shade's tail at the prospect of spending time with Shadow, **"and look for any more signs of the boy interfering with his focus. My young Shadow will get stronger. You and I will to see to it!"**

" **We must be wary of this bond Twilight speaks of father!"** Nightbreaker warned **, "It did…..something…..to Shadow…discussing the child drove him into a kind of…..death rage…He did not fight me for sport or honour but purely….for blood. I had to resort to some drastic measures to make him stop before he killed me!"**

" **A disturbing thing indeed!"** Deathwing warbled, his eye's narrowing in confusion at such an aggressive act between Shadow and his nest-sibling, **"anything else?"**

" **He implied my death was….at the behest of the Queen!"** Nightbreaker replied slowly, his voice heavy with fear and confusion.

Deathwing turned sharply and looked at Silverwing, who was eyeing him in deep concern at this news. The thought that Shadow served a different Queen, other than his mother was not only offensive and traitorous, it had the potential to be heart-breaking for both the parents who had doted on their first-born since the day he was hatched. Silverwing also shook her head slightly at her powerful mate to dissuade him from even considering the ludicrous notion that somehow, she was the one goading her first-born son into his erratic violent behaviour. Not seeing any other reason Deathwing turned back to Nightbreaker to speak but Twilight interrupted.

" **Also! This very night at the hot-springs!"** the young silver-eyed dragon said sorrowfully, **"Shadow was with Hiccup when he fell into a violent trance! I couldn't hear much but I could see my brother was full of unnatural sorrow, pain and anger, lots of anger!"**

" **And is the child responsible for this somehow?"** the Alpha's voice thick with suspicion, **"You imply this rage is affected by this bond they share?"**

" **Shadow is adamant the boy is innocent of any foul-play!"** Nightbreaker declared knowing that his brother's fighting spirit would never play him false and hopefully counter this new incident of Shadow losing control, **"He says if you wish to know more, you must go and ask him yourself my Lord Deathwing. It seems he will not break words on it further with anyone other than you!"**

At hearing these words and the slightly smug grin Nightbreaker bore in delivering them, Deathwing threw his head up and chuckled loudly, his jaws nearly ripping a new hole in the low ceiling, **"Ha! His many years of wandering have done nothing to dampen his impudence I see!"** the Alpha declared haughtily, **"Very well! We will continue to study this strange pair of Nightfury and Viking!"**

" **If this bond is as strong as you both imply it could mean dangerous times ahead!"** Darkwing crooned, " **We must work to push and test this bond of theirs. If it is weak they will be easily separated, if it is strong they will be benefited by a united front but if it breaks violently, we must be ready to act fast to cut the backlash out at its source!"**

" **Wise council indeed brother"** Deathwing replied meeting the dragon eye-to-eye, **"I want to know all of my son's feelings on the matter. Nightbreaker! Has my son given any indication about having his lost tailfin healed and replaced?"**

" **How do you know about that?"** Nightbreaker asked in surprise. He had yet to share that piece of information with his family and it seemed both Shade and Silverwing were equally shocked to learn of such a thing. Twilight bore a strangely neutral reaction to the news as Deathwing spoke imperiously from his platform, one of his wings draping discreetly across his mate's back to ease her mind.

" **Though I have made you all my eyes and ears in this matter, do not perceive _me_ to be blind to the obvious!"** The dark Alpha intoned, **"I saw the fake fin when we spoke last night, then my suspicions were confirmed when I watched my son and the child this very evening outrun the entire flock! A most impressive display. It is a rare sight indeed to see a Haddock of all Vikings, flying and guiding my son through the air!"**

" **What will you do about it my mate?"** Silverwing cooed in concern for her son's affliction and how this might affect his future.

" **I will break words with my young Shadow soon enough, have no fear on that!"** Deathwing replied letting his wing spread a little further over her back as he kept his gaze firmly on his children, **"For now let him enjoy his time getting caught up with all of you, his siblings. Shade, tomorrow press my son hard for more information. Test his limits as to how much he wants to stay with his pet and be wary for any other limitations he may display!"**

Shade nodded in the affirmative to the Alpha's order as Nightbreaker stood up to address Deathwing, **"So, it looks as though the boy will have to stay!"** The armoured Nightfury stated.

" **Not necessarily!"** Darkwing countered " **We can heal Shadow and take the human out of the equation. But do not let the boy know that. He still interests us!"**

" **Unfortunately uncle, the human already knows about that!"** A gleeful female voice echoed through the cavern as Midnight strutted arrogantly out of the shadows to stand beside her kin. **"** _ **I**_ **informed the** _ **'Heeso'**_ **of that fact earlier! He did not take the news well".**

" **You did WHAT? WHY?"** Twilight screeched as her eyes narrowed and plasma-gas began to heat within her mouth at the tiny dragon's brazen unapologetic attitude to her attacks on Hiccup, **"What possessed you to tell him such a thing? After I warned you to leave the boy be, you still engaged with him?"**

" **I did what I thought was right!"** Midnight crooned smugly as she side-stepped her bigger sister and trotted over to stand right between Deathwing's front legs, " **You are all so concerned about Shadow, you are forgetting about the real threat here! The human scum must be told the truth no matter how painful it may be! If not, he will never be able to survive here!"**

" **What did you say to him?"** Twilight growled, her normally calm demeanour melting away due to the growing heat in her chest.

" **Only the truth!"** Midnight retorted haughtily, " **that he is not welcome, that Shadow will not need him to fly, that he will be of no use to anyone here!"** Seeing the ire on her sister's face was not abating, Midnight continued more sincerely, **"If the boy comes to terms with the impossibility of him staying here, then he will leave of his own free will, no decision will have to made by our great and noble lord and we will have our first-born back!"**

" **Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! He'll be gone, gone, gone! And then we will have Shadow to have fun fun fun!"** a fast paced voice broke the air and a streak of silver light darted around the cave pausing briefly on random ledges on the walls, perching on Deathwing's back before screeching to a halt beside Midnight in front of the Alpha and his mate. The Nightfury that came into being when the silver light faded was the same size as Midnight and shared the same pair of bright blue eyes, her twin in every way, except that he was male. **"We got to have fun fun fun with the human at the hot springs didn't we Midnight? He looked so shocked when he got hit with our dung! I thought he was going to die ha ha ha!"**

Midnight and her brother Faststreak burst into fits of laughter at the young male's words much to the confusion of all present except for Twilight who, unable to contain her anger any longer cocked her head to the side and spat out a ball of burning white plasma that flew past a very surprised Calidus and Eversor and exploded just outside of the cave mouth. Slamming her claws down as she walked, Twilight stomped toward the young twin Nightfuries, teeth bared and dorsal fins raised.

" **I might of known it was you, you nasty little creature!"** Twilight hissed, **"Did you even stop to think how Shadow would react? Did you even see how enraged he became? How upset the human was? How much damage you might have done? Had he been able to fly, Shadow would have caught you and torn you pieces!"**

Though Faststreak backed away from the larger female toward his mother, seemingly cowed, Midnight on the other hand walked up and spoke right back at her wide face, baring her own tiny fangs **"Well then it's a good thing he can't!"**

" **Father I must protest!"** Twilight roared in frustration looking over the smaller dragon in front of her to her judge and sire, **"Midnight has done nothing but torture this poor child since the moment he arrived. I entreat that you order her to stay away from him!"**

For a moment Deathwing was silent until he uttered one word, **"No".**

That one word was like a knife to Twilight's heart. She believed her father to be fair in all things. She had extolled that very virtue to Hiccup herself this past day. Granted these were highly strange circumstances, but even at that, Twilight could not believe her father would allow this treatment to continue when the stakes were so high. Even Nightbreaker and Shade seemed disturbed as they walked to stand beside her.

Twilight's jaw slackened and she looked questioningly at the Alpha as she spoke, no, she did not simply speak, she begged, **"But father, he is just a child, PLEASE!...".**

" **Twilight!"** Deathwing interrupted forcefully, **"It is the task of you, Nightbreaker and Shade to push, test and reconnect with Shadow as well as observe and interact with the boy, Hiccup. He may be all the things you say he is, but I am yet to be convinced that he may stay!"**

The three Nightfury siblings listened intently as Deathwing spoke from his platform, their faces giving away their uncertainty at Deathwing's words while Midnight let a small smirk play on her face.

" **Coddling the human and treating him as a fragile thing will not give me all the information I want. I believe one of us should keep pushing and testing the human and Midnight seems to be the perfect candidate".**

" **But my Alpha!"** Twilight pleaded, **"She will drive the child to insanity! She seeks to destroy him! You know this!"**

" **Any other human would do the same to a dragon if given the chance!"** Midnight snapped back in Deathwing's place, **"Blacklight told me what they did to him and then your precious boy insulted him, twice!"**

" **Hiccup is not just any other human!"** Twilight snarled at the smug little Nightfury, **"you will leave him alone or I swear by the Stars of Draco that Shadow's wrath will not be the only thing you have to fear!"**

" **ENOUGH! Both of you!"** Deathwing roared bringing the cave to order once more, casting an understanding gaze on his eldest daughter, **"Twilight, your feelings do you credit, but they may be exploited by this clever Viking child. The boy will be kept safe, such was my decree!"**

" **Ugh!"** Midnight snorted.

" **And as for you Midnight!..."** Deathwing said sternly, slamming his large claw down and trapping the little dragon between two of his talons, giving her something to finally be afraid of, **"Dropping dung on the boy that solely controls my son's flight was a step too far! The last thing I want is for the human to be injured so that my son cannot fly at all! You will keep testing the boy, but you will not overstep your place little one! Hiccup is under the rule of** _ **my**_ **law not yours! So commands your Alpha! So it will be done!"**

The deep thrum of the Alpha's call resonated in all of the assembled Nightfuries as Deathwing made his proclamation. The three elder Nightfuries took comfort in the Alpha's decree and enjoyed the sour look on Midnight's face having being reprimanded by her usually doting father. Midnight herself felt the physically crushing wave of the Alpha's call wash over her mind and body while she grimaced at being denied acting out her plans.

Still, it would give her a chance to think more creatively on how to confront the child and keep prodding him until he fled the Isle of Night, wishing he had never heard of it. The scheming little dragon was broken from her thoughts by the rasping voice of her uncle and Blacklight's father.

" **And be wary of what my son says to you hatchling!"** Darkwing said **"Though Blacklight's story is a tragic and painful one, he hates man with a vengeance, his hatred runs dangerously deeper than even mine or my brother's. I would not have you lower yourself to such a degree, where you become no better than the humans who tortured and betrayed us! We are still Nightfuries and we have our honour to protect!"**

" **Trust me uncle, father!"** Midnight gasped, still under pressure from her father, **"I will never end up like one of those filthy humans!"**

" **Good!"** Deathwing crooned seemingly satisfied with Midnight's contrition, releasing her from the force of his will, " **You will not harm the boy physically or humiliate him as you did tonight, but you will keep asking him questions and finding his weak points in case we need to exploit them in the future!"**

" **Yes father, my Alpha!"** Midnight bowed.

" **And no more taking ideas from Blacklight!"** Twilight hissed baring her teeth, to make sure Midnight still understood the consequences if she took things too far again.

" **Why, of course sister!"** Midnight hissed back sarcastically giving an exaggerated bow.

" **Very well! I have heard enough for one evening!"** Deathwing declared **, "go and see to your own nests. We will break words on this again!"**

With a lot of rough shoving, snapped threats and growled counter-threats between them, Midnight, Shade, Nightbreaker and Twilight stormed out the cave with renewed vigour. They were followed by an impatient Faststreak, talking a mile a minute and clambering all over an over-thinking Darkwing taking up the rear. The cave seemed eerily quiet now not that all of Deathwing's nest children and sibling had left. Once the Alpha was sure he and his mate were alone, Deathwing slumped the ground beside Silverwing closing his eyes and letting out a large sigh that kicked up a thick cloud of dust.

" **It seems the boy is not a dangerous as we fear"** Silverwing ventured to her quiet, stationary Alpha, licking the top of his head to help soothe his troubled mind.

" **Perhaps",** Deathwing grumbled, cracking open one eye to survey his mate, " **but there is much more I would know about him before I make my choice."**

" **As you say my Alpha",** Silverwing crooned as she continued her mate's grooming.

Groaning loudly,Deathwing stared at the ground as if it held the illusive answers he sought **"Why did he have to go in the first place? He was the greatest warrior we had seen in generations, he had everything laid out for him, he was going to be a magnificent Alpha, continuing our legacy, keeping our kin safe!"**

Silverwing sighed **"And he _will_ continue our legacy my mate!" ** she warbled reassuringly, not ceasing in her task to calm the Alpha **"He came back after all. Besides you can't blame him. He's been on this island for most of his life. Seeing what the last wars did to us sparked his desire to learn more about the world and what makes the humans hate us so!"** Deathwing snorted knowing full well why the humans hated them. It upset him to no end that his own son refused to just take his word for it all those years ago. Silverwing smirked as she came back to his eye line, a teasing tone to her lyrical voice, **"And before you insist such things were not done in your time** _ **, you**_ **were quite the adventurer in your youth much to Darkstalker's frustration if I remember correctly!"** Deathwing was about to voice his protest but Silverwing's paw on his shoulder stayed his words as she looked warmly at him, **"adventure is in Shadow's blood as much as it was in ours! He said he would return."**

" **And now he has!"** Deathwing crooned in concern, **"But I fear he is not the son who left us!"**

" **Of course he isn't!"** Silverwing retorted gently, **"Would you rather he never changed? That he did not grow into his own being?"**

" **We both know that's impossible!"** Deathwing chuckled, acknowledging the truth in his mate's words before his smile fell and he became serious again, **"Yet I sense something about him and I know you do as well. A dark force infects him and if it is indeed the boy, then he will gone as soon as possible!"**

" **In time, we shall see",** Silverwing replied as she nuzzled her head into his, pausing before she asked the question that had been on her mind since she first saw Shadow, **"Deathwing?…May I see my first-born….alone…..and take his measure?**

Deathwing smiled internally at the power of his mate's maternal instincts and how she had kept control of them in the face of what had happened thus far, **"Of course my love!"** the large Alpha warbled nuzzling her back **, "You may call him whenever you wish….but only when I am absent. I would not wish to sully such a reunion with my suspicions."**

" **Thank you my lord!"** The Nightfury Queen cooed as she licked the side of his face. Things might have gone a lot further between the two dragons, had not a voice called in from the cave mouth.

" **My lord! My Queen!"** Calidus barked.

" **Ugh!...What is it Calidus?"** Deathwing groaned as the aforementioned Nightfury strode in side-by-side with Eversor.

" **There are many of our kin outside, seeking the Queen's Counsel!"** Calidus intoned formally, **"they wish to know if they may enter!"**

" **Of course Calidus!"** Silverwing replied, standing up and letting her Alpha's wing retract **, "Show the first one in!"**

On command both Calidus and Eversor turned on the spot and bounded out of the cave to bring in the first of many dragons that nightly sought her advice. Silverwing turned to see a very disgruntled Deathwing staring at her, his eyes narrow in frustration.

" **It seems a Queen's work is never done my mate!"** The female quipped as she looked slyly at her Alpha who then stood up and walked past her, rubbing his side against hers.

" **And neither is mine!"** Deathwing replied obviously annoyed at the interruption and his subsequent dismissal, **"Counsel fairly!"**

" **Rule wisely!"** Silverwing crooned as the Nightfury known as Ender was led in by Eversor, eager to put his concerns to her.

Deathwing smiled and gave his beloved mate a heavy nuzzle before striding out of the cave, past a line of bowing subjects and vaulting into the air.

Turning north, the massive dragon, along with four bodyguards, concealed in the black skies around him, headed off towards the snow-capped mountains that hung ominously in the cold, dark night air.

It had been an interesting evening and the night was still young. Deathwing smirked as he flew over his domain and his subjects which now included an incredibly volatile Shadow and his equally dangerous human. The Alpha looked forward to what new revelations the coming days would bring and figured that a visit to an old friend might be just the thing he needed. Venting his frustrations in honourable combat was his best choice now and the Lord and Alpha of the Nightfuries wasn't going to pass it up.

And just like that, the cadre of elite Nightfuries was gone!

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **Another chapter done.**

 **I heartily thank you all for your reactions to these chapters as they really do keep things moving for me. I'm taking a small break for a few weeks as my full time job will be demanding my attention for the next while. But as always I will be thinking about all of my fics.**

 **Hopefully more updates will follow in February.**

 **The Nightfury Ender, was suggested by my buddy Gordon519. He might turn up later. we will see.**

 **To tide you over – in the next chapter I'm gonna throw in a little time skip then Hiccup is confronted by more stuff and yet another of Midnight's schemes. Things will indeed go from bad to worse but there will be a little glimmer of hope on the horizon. But for who?**

 **To address some questions I got.**

 **The main thrust of this first arc is all about Hiccup trying to be accepted by the Nightfuries. To me dragons are highly sceptical creatures when it comes to humans. Hopefully this chapter has shown a different side the Nightfury Royal Family. The Nightfuries and Deathwing have been through some horrendously tragic things in their lives which have turned them into what they are now. It took a hugely traumatic event to make Toothless the more caring dragon he is and Hiccup the caring human he is. It seems only through severest hardship do we find out what they are truly made of. I'm sorry if you don't like Hiccup's treatment right now but the die has been cast and the trials will get harder but with enough moments of beauty to give hope.**

 **Trust me when I say things are going to get bad but please, be like Hiccup and hang in there. It will be so worth it. I promise you.**

 **To another reviewer who left a P.M. I haven't given up on my other fics scars and I alone. A set of rather unpleasant things befell me last year and to balance out dealing with it and a very heavy workload I decided to focus on just one fan fic for now which is this one. Do not lose hope. Scars and I alone will be back as there are some fun stories I really want to tell but it will just take a lot longer than I planned to get them done. When I get to a certain point in this story, I will stop writing and pick up the others. Right now it's one story at a time. It's all I can handle.**

 **As always, reviews, comments, P.M.s and queries are all welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	26. Time Warp

**Hey all.**

 **I figured I would instigate a time jump here and write in a different style. Normally I have longer dialogue driven scenes that takes one incident and plays it out to its fullest which can at make time drag.**

 **So to switch things up a little I figured I could try a straight up exposition narrative chapter to cover as many different things as possible to move things along. I think I could write an entire chapter on each small incident I mention here and I don't want folks waiting around too long for things to move on. Please bear in mind there is a lot of info being dumped here so apologies in advance if you don't like it but it has to go somewhere.**

 **Having said that there will be a pretty intense scene at the end of this chapter.**

 **As always P.M's reviews comments and questions are all welcome.**

 **With that said enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return Of The Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 26 - Time Warp**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons – Part IX)**_

 _ **Last time Deathwing and his children met to discuss what they had learned about Toothless and Hiccup.**_

 _ **With a better understanding of the two Deathwing insists more information is gathered,**_

 _ **including pushing Hiccup further than before.**_

 _ **Will Hiccup withstand the pressure?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

The next ten days Hiccup spent on the Isle of Night was simultaneously the most surreal and unsettling time he had experienced in a very long while. And that included bearing witness to the many, many drinking festivals Berk threw to celebrate their ancestors, births, marriages, deaths or even just the fact it was Thor's day!

For every circumstance that gave Hiccup hope and comfort, there seemed to be numerous other opposing occasions that did nothing but make him feel miserable, unwanted and unworthy of being on the Isle of Night.

It seemed the island was split into two camps. A very small group of Nightfuries that seemed to have no problem with him staying, while the far larger, more vocal side wished him either gone or...dead!

* * *

The first day didn't give the boy much hope as he was still reeling from his humiliation at the hot-springs. With Toothless again gone without a word and waking up alone, it fell once more to Twilight to show him more of the nest, which did not go as well as they had hoped. For despite washing off the dung dropped on him, any Nightfuries Hiccup met would wrinkle their faces in disgust, draw back giggling at him or just straight up mock him. Such insults, though quite hurtful coming from Nightfuries, were nothing he hadn't experienced before on Berk and he tried to let them pass him by. Most times he succeeded, but on others he failed and the hateful words, including Midnight's personal favourite _, 'Heeso',_ battered away at his weakening resolve. Suffice to say Hiccup quickly lost his taste for exploring that day and spent his time back in the cave reading or sketching in his journals, thankful that most other Nightfuries slept during the day.

* * *

The badgering didn't stop there as on the second day, Hiccup found himself viciously berated and labelled the _**'Sleep-Breaker'**_ for inadvertently waking up over half the nest with his _**'infernal evil hammering!'**_ as dubbed by an irate Nightfury that howled and screeched at him. Hiccup had been using firestones to help repair his damaged forge tools at around midday, only to have dozens of the beasts roaring and snarling irritably at the over-crowded cave mouth. Exasperated and overwhelmed Hiccup stopped and swore never to put hammer to rock-anvil while the sun shone, ever again. It took Twilight and him over half-an hour to persuade the irate dragons to leave and Hiccup was grateful for the female's help, yet was sad and even a bit resentful Toothless had not returned to aid him in his time of need.

Throwing down his still-deformed tools also made Hiccup realise that, even if he did repair them, he actually had nothing to make anything with. He was no miner and had no idea where on the Isle of Night he could dig for ores. He didn't know if he was allowed to do so, he had nothing to transport them in and he wouldn't even know how best to utilise them. Where the raw materials came from wasn't taught to him on Berk, so Hiccup felt a very distinct barrier to his progress. The trail was effectively shut to him when Hiccup realised he mostly made weapons, so even if he did make something it would probably be confiscated right away. To have one of his first loves and primary occupations taken away from him was a serious blow to Hiccup, nudging him more down the dark path that was now constantly underpinning most of his thoughts. It made his situation seem all the more impossible and Twilight's attempts at reassurance and encouragement didn't count for much, as the dragoness herself was always coming and going at her leisure doing Thor's knows what.

Gaining one Nightfury's trust in Toothless had been difficult, so Hiccup tried to be patient as he knew winning the trust of a whole Island would take significantly longer, but that all depended on the Alpha which made Hiccup more and more infuriated the more he thought about it. And whenever Hiccup asked Toothless, Twilight, or any dragon for that matter, why it was so difficult for the Nightfuries to accept him, he would only receive veiled references to **_'the last one'_** , **_'the destroyer'_** or **_'the great cataclysm'_**. After further prodding, again Deathwing's presence loomed over the issue, as everyone told the boy, only the Alpha was in the correct position to elaborate further. To be met with such constant secrecy and mistrust, did not fill the boy with confidence.

Still that didn't stop Toothless and Twilight trying to further educate him on how The Isle of Night functioned and Nightfuries in particular. During the times they shared, brother and sister would explain though all Nightfuries had the ability to practice magic, not all could master it and those that did were held in high regard as it was their efforts that maintained 'The Veil'. Over and above this, every Nightfury possessed a singular ability or quality that was special to them. The 'gift' as it was called, rarely manifested at birth. It could activate at any point during a Nightfury's life but would be a defining characteristic of who the dragon was and what role they would play in society. Nightbreaker was one of the rare dragons whose gift was evident from hatching with his heavily armoured body.

Hiccup took note of as many of these distinct traits as possible in the Nightfuries he saw around him in order to get a better idea of the nest and it's inhabitants. Toothless emphasized that the Nightfuries took great pride in whatever gifts they had and would spend long hours trying to perfect them in order to serve the greater good of the nest. To mock or belittle a dragon's gift or ability was a very dangerous thing, as it would open one up to be challenged in combat.

Hiccup was fascinated at how powerful and versatile the Nightfuries were and would have been more than happy to see the wide range of gifts they possessed. However when it came to Deathwing, things became a lot more serious. Hiccup knew the Alpha was powerful, but had no idea just how much so as Twilight gave a list of powers that shocked and awed him in equal measure. To provoke the Alpha was to bring down the very wrath of the Gods themselves. Hiccup regretted speaking the way he had to Deathwing when they first met, but in defence of Toothless he was willing to risk anything.

This knowledge made Hiccup realise just how proud and mighty the Nightfuries were and by the same token how weak and feeble he seemed in comparison. Not only was he a runt of a Viking, he felt even more of a runt of a human as the differences between him and his draconic hosts were made all the more stark. Differences that several dragons made sure to remind him of each day.

Overall Hiccup tried to endure the hurt and fell back to his usual sarcastic, self-effacing quips that made the accusing dragons confused, angry or even respectful of having their own insults turned against them. Those that did get too aggressive usually found themselves being faced down by Twilight when she was even around to escort him, or Rumble and Scythe who maintained their mostly hidden vigil of him all hours of the day and night it seemed.

* * *

However after enduring two more days and many Nightfuries passing comment about him, regardless if Toothless was present or not, a very strange thing happened.

On the fourth day after yet another lunch of fish, Hiccup was working on repairing his wicker travelling basket he had finally retrieved from the woods. Without warning, a Nightfury Hiccup had never met before, strode defiantly into his cave and demanded he be shown the power of _**'He who captures the souls of dragons!'**_

Stunned at the imperious request and the ominous title the dragon had bestowed on him, Hiccup could only give a puzzled grunt before asking what on Midgard the Nightfury was talking about, much to the bemusement of his draconic intruder.

Apparently a wild rumour had been circulating the nest and Hiccup's nickname of _**'Sleep-Breaker'**_ had been added to with the new, very dubious title of ' _ **The Soul-Stealer'**_.

Seeing the human still confused at the melodramatic declaration, the Nightfury proceeded to condescend to Hiccup he had heard the boy was capable of 'capturing' a Nightfury's soul on paper, such was the skill of his art and the dragon had come to see if there was any truth in it. Arrogantly the Nightfury, named Garudo, declared his complete disbelief of such a ludicrous notion and dared the boy to prove him wrong.

Finally realising what the dragon was driving at and suspecting a certain silver eyed Nightfury of over zealously promoting him to her kin, Hiccup, unwilling to let the last remaining talent he could still practice be ridiculed, set his basket aside and took up his drawing implements.

Adopting a grand posture Garudo smirked, believing no human could possibly convey his raw power and unbridled majesty. The Nightfury was a lot bigger than Toothless and filled a decent amount of the cave but Hiccup was unfazed, ready to show this dragon what he could do when challenged.

Safe to say, by sunset, before an ever-growing crowd of onlookers, the mighty Nightfury that was Garudo left the cave cowed and apologetic as he bore witness to what Hiccup had created. In fact, word had spread that Garudo even felt unworthy of the image Hiccup had drawn. In a very clever twist, Hiccup had ignored the arrogance and prideful expression Garudo had adopted but instead focused solely on the Nightfury's innate nobility and strength. Not only had the boy drawn a lifelike image of the dragon, he had elevated him to the pinnacle of what a Nightfury could stand for.

When Toothless finally returned and found out about what Garudo had done, he went to seek the Nightfury out to berate him for challenging his boy. But he was astounded when Garudo found him first and swore by the stars of Draco to always be ready to heed the call of the First-Born and his little **_'Soul-Stealer'_. ** It was a disturbing interaction to have with the larger dragon over a simple drawing and Toothless made a mental note to speak with Garudo further on the matter, happy to have another ally in his campaign to have Hiccup stay.

However this had the rather annoying downside that Hiccup suddenly found no time to work on his necessities as more and more dragons began visiting at all hours demanding to be given a demonstration of his skill and having their own portraits done.

Although flattered by the praise he received, some of it came very begrudgingly to the point where some Nightfuries slashed or burned the finished product out of spite, leaving Hiccup feeling dejected at his apparent 'failure'. With all the time he devoted to his drawings, Hiccup took each rejection hard and was noticing he was running out of paper altogether. If he didn't get more he would be reduced to carving crude images on the walls and that was something he knew would only make matters worse.

Due to the stress and pressure the extra work caused, Hiccup was losing a lot of sleep, forcing Toothless to intervene.

The Nightfury prince was not best pleased to come back to his cave the next few nights, after a long day's hunting with Shade or fighting Nightbreaker to find Hiccup slumped unconscious over many drawings of other dragons that were not him, while other Nightfuries still pressured him to be seen. Toothless always groaned at having to spend an unacceptable amount of time chasing the harassing Nightfuries away so that he and the Viking could have some peace and much needed rest. Still, feeling the pangs of envy, Toothless would rouse Hiccup and the two would go flying in the night sky where both boy and dragon would try and leave behind their, followers, petty jealousies and struggles.

* * *

While always being in the air made the Viking boy happy beyond measure and the constant reassurances from Toothless helped, Hiccup's spirits seemed to slump at the same rate they descended to the ground as day to day necessities still proved difficult.

It seemed all the Nightfuries ate was meat, be it fish or wild game and while that sustained the dragons fine, Hiccup was finding the diet rather bland and also quite unhealthy. He had tried to supplement the food with various kinds of wild berries Twilight showed him in the forest on their many walks, but they all proved to be poisonous to various degrees resulting in Hiccup getting sick and not leaving the cave for two days unless it was to bathe or visit the outhouse he and Nightbreaker had built.

Originally Hiccup wanted Toothless to help him but his best friend refused, much to Hiccup's distress and annoyance.

However, after meeting Nightbreaker, whom Toothless had recommended to help, the boy travelled down to the rocky beach near their home and found a small tidal cave that was the outlet of an underground river. Hiccup with the armoured dragon's aid cut down some nearby trees that Hiccup was assured were unclaimed. Nightbreaker then sliced them with his claws into planks that Hiccup secured together with the little metal he had to fashion a seat, a door and enough panels to ensure the whole structure was level. There was also a lot of spare timber from the trees which Hiccup said he had use for in other projects.

Working with Nightbreaker had been an interesting experience. The armoured Nightfury didn't say much and kept his opinions to himself, much to Hiccup's relief. More than once Hiccup stumbled and fell carrying the heavy cut timber and was happy not to endure any mocking comments from the red-eyed dragon, who simply shrugged and helped carry logs and planks in his large jaws as Hiccup meticulously set them in place.

For the Nightfury himself, Nightbreaker was impressed by Hiccup's resilience to the manual labour and the seemingly unbreakable spirit the boy possessed despite his obvious physical short-comings. When the two did speak, it was always to the point with Hiccup constantly asking after Toothless' health and whether he might get his tail fin fixed or not. As his brother had not even given him an answer on the matter, Nightbreaker was compelled to be honest with the boy, making Hiccup very anxious. Nightbreaker also noticed how nervous the boy became when he questioned Hiccup on the nature of their relationship, trying to discern if the Viking held any nefarious or malignant hold over is brother. Under the scrutiny, Hiccup said they were simply best friends. Nightbreaker couldn't help but feel there was something more going on, especially with the boy showing so much concern for his brother.

Slowly but surely as their project took shape, Nightbreaker got a better picture of Hiccup and shared in the boy's sense of pride when they had finally completed the outhouse built into the cliff-side. Now Hiccup was able to relieve himself without encroaching on anyone's territory and anything he did do was washed out to sea. It solved a lot of issues and Hiccup finally had somewhere he could go to be alone and just think if he needed to get away from the prying eyes of nosey dragons. Still, Hiccup never got used to the sight of leaving the small shack to find the odd Nightfury watching him with close interest.

Yes indeed, he was the most popular freak-show in town and all thanks to his bodily functions and a human need for privacy.

This need also extended to bathing and after the fiasco of the hot-springs, Toothless brought Hiccup to an underground hot-spring around half a mile from their cave, deeper inside the nest. Granted it was nowhere near as beautiful and a bit cramped, but the water was undeniably hot and Hiccup was able to clean himself and his clothes everyday in relative privacy and comfort while one of his escort dragons guarded the entrance.

* * *

His guards, which were usually Scythe and Rumble had taken to not speaking to him anymore and kept their distance from him. While it was disappointing for such a thing to happen Hiccup found that, when she was actually around, Twilight had started getting borderline clingy, constantly showering him with compliments, licks and nudges.

To say Toothless wasn't having similar problems would be a lie, for wherever the heir to the Nightfuries went, a certain female Nightfury was never far away. Raven could always be counted on to bring Toothless fish, fly wingtip to wingtip, take walks with him in the forest when the dragon preferred to stay on the ground and continuously shower him with open displays of affection.

Although it was nice to have a female companion, Toothless still felt something was wrong with the whole scenario.

Something was still missing and he could even see Raven knew it too because when she finished a particular gesture she would look at him with a sense of anticipation bordering on fear as to whether or how Toothless would reciprocate. Using his 'true-sight' Toothless could tell Raven was pinning a lot of her future on him and like him, was also aware of something else in play, but was hoping for them to progress before it became an issue. It was this desperation in the female Nightfury's eyes coupled with his own doubts that always stopped Toothless from going any further than chaste interactions or passing pleasantries.

As the First-born he was entitled to pursue whatever unattached female he desired and Raven was an incredibly desirable Nightfury with her smooth curved form and the subtle purple tint to her scales glinting seductively in both night and daylight. It was always an enticing prospect and Raven made no secret in demonstrating her affections.

Still, Toothless didn't pursue her the way he thought he should. Until he dealt with whatever was holding him back, that was the way things had to be. It confused and infuriated Toothless, Raven and at times Hiccup to no end, having the female constantly hanging around, pushing the two apart.

* * *

All these frustrations and more weighed heavily on the Viking boy and his dragon friend. But more than anything else two particular dragons tormented them individually.

Firstly Toothless had to deal with his father. Despite promising to speak with his son, Deathwing had yet to make contact with him beyond brief greetings and holding communal airspace together as they flew at nights which were awkward enough with Hiccup always there as a 'third wing'. Another part of the reason they couldn't speak fully was the fact that Hiccup and Toothless still followed the human's sleeping patterns. By the time Deathwing was done with his duties as Alpha and approached his son's cave to speak with him, the massive dragon would find Toothless sleeping soundly with his human wrapped up in his wings. It drove the Nightfury king to distraction that simply the hours of the day and night prevented him from reconnecting with his son and Deathwing held Hiccup responsible for it. They would pass each other sometimes at dawn or dusk but neither would be able to mount a proper conversation.

It was a difficult situation. They had been divided by over 20 years of being apart and Toothless still was wary around the powerful Alpha as memories of what he had to do for the Red Death still caused him to have violent fits and flashbacks that he kept hidden as best he could from his human and his family. The young Nightfury still couldn't tell his father the truth such was his shame and Deathwing didn't want to breech the subject in case it erupted into the same argument that drove Toothless away in first place all those decades ago.

And in between them, both Nightfuries could see that a small, human shaped problem seemed to hold the key to everything.

* * *

Hiccup wasn't faring much better against Midnight. He hadn't seen the blue-eyed terror for a few days after the incident at the hot-springs, somewhat confirming his suspicions that she was responsible. However she began to appear at the most unpredictable of times with a far insidious set of tactics to push Hiccup out. Firstly whenever Hiccup left the cave, with Faststreak's help, she would re-arrange all the things on Hiccup's shelves before the boy came back and then revel in the child's confusion and irritation as he methodically put it all back the way it was. Each time it happened the boy became angrier and it made her laugh to see him so irately confused. Then whenever that tactic had grown old, Midnight took a more direct approach.

She would appear whenever Hiccup was alone and wasted no time in asking him a multitude of questions. Sometimes they were inconsequential like his favourite colour or what his various tools did. Then she would ask about his life back on Berk before turning vicious, demanding to know what Hiccup thought he was going to achieve by being on the Isle of Night and just how far he was willing to drag Toothless down with him. Hiccup never got a chance to tell her much as she gave him no time to really respond. But every emotional sensitive spot and exposed nerve the boy tried to hide, Midnight found and relentlessly poked at them, doing what Twilight had feared, trying to drive the teenager crazy.

Every time Hiccup tried to give Midnight as little reaction as possible. But it didn't always work and the little Nightfury's departure was sometimes marked by quiet sobbing coming from Hiccup's cave. Hiccup was still thankful he had some precious Myrtle root left as the herb went a long way to soothe his nerves, quell his emotional turmoil and help him accept not being able to practice his blacksmithing anymore.

It became so bad that Hiccup realised he could almost tell when Midnight was going to appear to him. Not because of him being alone but by being around the Alpha's children so much he had begun to develop a sixth sense for when a Nightfury that had an Alpha's core within them was close by. Though it was not as noticeable as Toothless' or Twilight's, Midnight still carried an Alpha's core and its slight distinctive thrum could be felt by the intelligent young Viking who was, bit by bit beginning to crumble under her constant, pressuring encounters.

* * *

It was one such encounter that occurred on the tenth morning that almost tipped Hiccup over the edge. The boy had finally got back to working on his wicker basket. Not being a weaver had made the task more difficult but Hiccup was nearly finished, enjoying the satisfaction of a task completed and the increasing warmth of the rising sun. Despite sitting with his back to the cave mouth, Hiccup suddenly ceased his work and raised his head to address the familiar presence he felt.

"I know you're there Midnight", the boy said wearily, his irritation barely hidden "I'm quite busy right now so can we please just get this over with!"

Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and sure enough there was Midnight, hanging upside down by her tail from the top of the cave mouth staring at him with her electric blue eyes that pulsed with malice and cunning.

" **You are going to die you know."** the little dragon intoned matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Hiccup jumped slightly as he gasped.

" **I said, you are going to die"** the little dragon crooned as she flipped herself in the air to land gracefully on her feet.

"Are you threatening me?" Hiccup retorted trying to contain the shivers running down his spine, wondering if he had lost Deathwing's protection, still keeping his gaze away from Midnight

" **No no no** _ **Heeso**_ **. Still you misunderstand!"** Midnight crooned patronizingly like she was explaining something to a dumb child **"I am merely stating the fact you will die** _ **…..e-ven-tu-a-lly**_ **. Wont you?"**

"Uh….yeah….one day I guess?" Hiccup stuttered unevenly, slightly hopeful this wasn't going be the day she would actually kill him.

" **And how many years do you humans live?"** Midnight asked, like she was genuinely interested.

This really caught Hiccup off guard. Not only was Midnight giving him time to answer her questions, she was asking about something Hiccup was pretty sure every dragon, including her, knew all too well. Still with the Nightfury showing no sign of leaving, Hiccup felt compelled to answer her. "Well…..I guess 50 or 60 years?..." the Viking boy began tentatively "…. My grandfather, Old Wrinkly lived till he was 92 which was ancient for a Viking really…..He was actually nice to me…taught me to read and write…..told me stories and languages. I….."

" **Charming!"** Midnight interrupted snidely craning her neck around from her position, noticing the small nostalgic smile Hiccup had on his face as he remembered his beloved grandfather, **"sounds like he led a long and happy life."**

"I think so," Hiccup said nodding as he fiddled with the wicker basket in his hands, still not wanting to look at his seemingly benevolent tormentor, "he was one of the few Vikings to die of old age. He didn't fall to illness or be killed by….dragons."

" **A peaceful passing?"** Midnight replied, revelling in the awkwardness of the boy's hesitation, **"Truly this 'Old Wrinkly' was a lucky Viking to live so long and die so peacefully."**

"Yeah it really hit me...I mean the tribe hard when he…...Wait! What does this have to do anything?" Hiccup asked, knowing Midnight cared nothing really for his ancestry.

" **Well, it's endearing the way you humans value your time in this world…"** Midnight replied cheerily, before letting her malice infect her tone **"…and yet, it means _nothing_ in the grand scheme of things!"**

"Nothing?!" Hiccup gasped, angry at Midnight's writing off of not just his life but Old Wrinkly's as well, one of the very few Berkians who actually treated him with respect and he respected in turn.

" **Of course nothing!"** Midnight patronized, **"You mean Shadow** _ **still**_ **didn't tell you?!"**

"Tell me what?!" Hiccup asked turning his head to face her, knowing the sting in her words was coming soon.

" **Ugh! Fine!"** Midnight sing-songed in mock defeat, **"once again it falls to me to educate you where my brother has refused to! You see Hiccup,….Dragons…Nightfuries especially, live for a very,** _ **very**_ **long time!"**

"How long?" Hiccup asked fixing his gaze on the floor again.

" **Long enough to make your feeble lifespan seem like the passing of a day!"** The little Nightfury crooned in delight.

"How long?"Hiccup groaned loudly, finally realising exactly where this particular line of torture was going and feeling wretched at his powerlessness to stop it.

" **Well,"** Midnight began, the glee bubbling away in her as spoke **, "I am only 20 human years old, yet my body is still like that of a very young dragon."** Hiccup interlocked his fingers to quell his shivering at realising he was younger than the small dragon that had been tormenting him, making him feel even more a runt **. "Then there is Lord Deathwing my father"** Midnight continued as she paced back and forth like a predator, her gaze locked on the back of Hiccup's head, " **he is over 800 years old and still in the prime of his life, especially with an Alpha's core burning in his chest!"**

Hiccup couldn't take it anymore and had to ask the question Midnight had been leading him to "A-a-and …..T-t-toothless?"

" **My brother** _ **Shadow,**_ **if my guess is correct….."** Midnight was now right behind Hiccups shoulder and saw just how badly the child was shaking and how desperate he was trying to contain it. All the while Hiccup had his eyes closed and was repeating in his head a futile plea to all the Gods he knew.

' _Please don't say it! Please don't say it!'_

"… **.Shadow is….."**

' _Please don't say it! Please don't say it! 'Please don't say it! Please don't say it! 'Please don't say it! Please don't say it!'_

"… **..Over ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY of your human years old!"** Midnight warbled triumphantly.

As the Nightfury's words slipped into his ear and into his brain, Hiccup's entire body violently shook as a wave of despair washed over him and another crack split violently across the boy's heart. His hands, once locked together in his lap had flown to his mouth, clamped tight over his lips to prevent any kind of sob or whimper escaping them. After all Midnight had said and done to him, Hiccup resolutely refused to let her hear or see him cry again. As Hiccup reigned in his emotions he flinched as he felt Midnight's paw come to rest on his shoulder in a gesture any outsider would mistake for giving comfort. Hiccup though, knew better as the Nightfury spoke again.

" **You see Hiccup. My brother will far outlive you!"** Midnight crooned, her tone almost sorrowful and brimming with concern, **"Your life will be nothing more than a blink of the eye to him. My brother won't even have reached his prime when the only thing left of you…..will be the dust from your bones."**

"He…..he….he's really going to live that long?" Hiccup whispered through his gagging hands.

" **Indeed** _ **Heeso**_ **, so you really think your short life will matter?"** Midnight replied, sympathy now working its way into her voice **"Of course Shadow will be sad with your passing, but g** **ive it a couple of centuries and chances are his memory of you will have long faded as will the pain** **…..Can you bear slowly breaking my brother's heart as he watches you wither and fade to old age, while he remains young and vigorous and raises a family of his own?"**

"But I thought Toothless was my age?" Hiccup uttered, grasping at the last few straws of misconception he had left.

" **Hmph! Daddy was right, your ignorance is amusing!"** Midnight chuckled lowly as she finally moved around to sit facing him, **"Let me enlighten you. Nightfuries age _incredibly_ slowly. Shadow may seem your age in terms of maturity, but in body and mind?...He will live long enough to see the ending of the world…while **_**you**_ **will barely live long enough to see the ending of this century!"**

"I didn't know!" Hiccup shook his head trying to deny this wave of truth that was building higher and higher to completely smother him.

" **Of course you didn't"** Midnight cooed nodding her head.

"Why?...Why didn't Toothless tell me?" Hiccup rasped as he gulped in deep breaths to try and swallow his sorrow.

" **Obviously he wanted to spare you pain of the truth. Shadow knew by the time you realised, you would be too old and decrepit to do anything about it. So you would just...submit to him keeping you here...all to himself...like the _pet_ you are!" ** Midnight responded as matter-of-factly as she could to hide the pride she felt of dealing yet another serious blow to the child's morale.

"And you?….." Hiccup asked finally looking the female dragon in the eye, a mixture of rage and fear in his watery, green eyes.

Midnight matched his eyes with a stern glare as she leaned forward and hissed **"Lord Deathwing and I agree that, though the truth may hurt, it is necessary! I am of the Alpha's line! His agent of truth, his sanctioned messenger! Take my advice human and leave! Spare my brother the pain of watching you live your lives at such drastically different rates, knowing that sooner than either of you thinks,** _ **You.**_ _ **Will. Die!"**_

"One hundred and fifty years!" was all Hiccup could mutter as he tore his gaze away from the imperious little dragon before him.

" **Know now that time is no longer a luxury you can afford human. You never really had it to begin with!"** the small Nightfury intoned, **"Even if father lets you stay, there will be nothing here for you but pain!"**

Hiccup tried to speak but all Midnight heard was an incoherent mumble beneath his hands so she came closer her lowering her head to force Hiccup to see her **"what did you say human?"**

Hiccup forcibly lowered his hands and raised his face to look Midnight nose to snout. His mouth was contorted into a lop-sided smile which made the dragon slightly confused. Hiccup leaned forward forcing the dragon back slightly as he chuckled sardonically "Huh! Yeah…..Pain?...ha ha ha…love it!"

Midnight's confusion deepened as Hiccup began to stare at her again, this time with a far deeper rage she had ever seen him display thus far.

"Get out!" Hiccup snarled.

" **Excuse me?"** Midnight snapped back incredulously at being given such an order.

"I said GET OUT!" Hiccup yelled, leaping to feet and jumping toward Midnight who, thanks to her heightened reflexes dodged effortlessly out of the way. But that didn't stop Hiccup as he scrambled about the floor snatching up small fire-stones and throwing them at the dragon that was causing him such misery. He threw them pitifully while Midnight laughed at him and dodged every stone with no effort at all. Hiccup kept throwing the stones as they clattered harmlessly off the floor and the walls and all the while shouting until he lost his sense of balance and stumbled to the ground still screaming.

"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!"

Midnight, seeing her work was once again done for the moment, jumped out of the cave and with a gleeful hiss, dashed away leaving Hiccup curled up in a ball with his sorrow. The frightened boy clutched his chest as he felt his heart pounding and his head spinning at Midnight's revelation. Hiccup figured dragons lived a long time but the numbers Midnight had spouted seemed far too much. But he had never seen a fully aged dragon and there was nothing about how long they lived in the book of dragons. Hiccup then cursed himself for he realised he had even forgotten that Deathwing himself claimed he had met his ancestor over 200 years ago.

' _How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so blind to the obvious truth that was right in front of him?' Why hadn't Toothless told him?'_

' _ **And why did he have to let Midnight of all creatures be the one to spell it out for him?'**_

* * *

Indeed the blue-eyed Nightfury's honeyed yet poisonous words infected Hiccup's brain and his powerful imagination went into overdrive as visions and images began to take shape out of the dazzling morning sunshine, forming people and places he was very familiar with.

Hiccup saw himself interacting with Toothless as a man in his twenties, his scrawny and weak body hopefully taller and with more muscle to it. It was his imagination so he indulged a few improvements to his current skinny, lacklustre form. Both boy and Nightfury would be strong and happy as they played together through air, field and forest. He _knew_ that.

Time sped up and it felt like a golden hue descended on Hiccup's vision as he pictured himself a grown man, training, rough-housing and flying care free with his best friend. Hiccup was at the pinnacle of his potential; brave, handsome, fearless, dashing and knowledgeable from exploring the world with his Nightfury companion who had also grown in size and power. Then to the sound of child-like trills and squeals, small black shapes began to dance before his mature green eyes as Hiccup envisioned himself playing with and helping nurse Toothless' future hatchlings with whatever dragoness he took as a mate. The little curious Nightfuries would love to play with him as he held them in his large calloused hands, tempered by years combat and time spent in his own little forge. It was a perfect picture that shone in the light of a warm summer's day.

But then when night fell Hiccup would see all of the dragons, Toothless included, sleeping in a huddle together, as a family should be, while he slept in his bed all alone, apart. Banished to be little more than a babysitter as Toothless assumed his role as the Alpha with his mate as his queen, while he had no wife or children of his own to care for.

They wouldn't really fly anymore as the images took a darker tint. As grey hair and wrinkles began to mar his features, Hiccup knew he would come into old age and probably be unfit for the rigors of their airborne antics. Besides, with a magically healed tailfin, Toothless wouldn't need him to fly anymore. So Hiccup would smile as Toothless left his cave every day to conduct his role while he sat, old and decrepit in his chair, waiting for the cold night to come and his friend to return.

And when the Nightfury did return, Hiccup could picture the look of gentle pity in his friend's big dragon eyes as he surveyed his human's wrinkled skin, stooped back, faded sunken eyes and bony fingers. A knowing look that was sad for the human's inevitable ageing and demise, yet one that would silently wish it to be over so Hiccup's pain would end and the dragon would not have to look at this living example of entropy.

And then Hiccup saw his life end, an old man rasping out his last breaths surrounded by Nightfuries that watched purely out of morbid fascination. As Midnight had said, Toothless would be there keening and wailing in sorrow, yet ultimately comforted by the love of his mate and hatchlings. Time suddenly sped up as Hiccup saw his old fleshy form rapidly decompose until he was nothing more than a pale skeleton, barely clothed in rotten wind-sheared rags. Dragons didn't bury their dead as far as he knew, so his body would just be discarded.

Hiccup winced as he realised he would become a forgotten pile of bones that none of the Nightfuries would remember how they got into their Alpha's cave, but didn't bother to dispose of for all they had to do was wait another few decades and bones would be dust.

Eventually not even Toothless would remember who he was and in time the dragon wouldn't come back, having moved on with his own family for all of eternity, in peace and happiness, free of the short lived burden that was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

It was a cold, lonely and desolately heart-breaking future and Hiccup's now dull green eyes shut tight to hold back a torrent of silent tears as he convinced himself it was the only real future he had on the Isle of Night. If Deathwing decided he could stay, it could be the worst decision of his and Toothless' very different lives.

' _Maybe I might have a more fulfilling life back with my own kind somewhere far away from Berk?_ ' Hiccup thought.

As his body twitched in distress on the cave floor Hiccup started to genuinely make peace with the idea that he would no longer share his future with the Nightfuries…or Toothless.

For after all, he only had one very short life to live, while Toothless had all of eternity.

* * *

Hiccup would have let himself fall further into the abyss Midnight had crafted, but a familiar female voice broke him from his dour thoughts. Suddenly he felt a wide snout nuzzling his back, making him uncurl his body a little. The nuzzling feeling immediately landed on chest and with a few gentle movements he found himself back on his feet leaning heavily into the face of Twilight , her silver eyes wide and full of concern.

" **Hiccup! what is wrong child? What has you so upset?"**

At first Hiccup wanted to tell her everything Midnight had said, unload all of his fears on the large dragon and hope she would give him counsel and comfort. But she was also, like Midnight, Deathwing's servant. He remembered her saying as much so nothing she said or did could actually help. Instead Hiccup held ever tighter to Twilight's head letting his cheek rub across her scales imagining it was actually Toothless he was hugging, praying the substitution would keep him going until his real friend returned.

"Twilight" the boy finally rasped "can we go somewhere where there are lots of Nightfuries, I had…a…a nightmare and I'd like to be around others right now!"

The boy's cracked voice shocked Twilight and the dragoness didn't need to use her special ability to see how much Hiccup was in distress. She quickly thought of where she could find a group of dragons at this hour that wouldn't be annoyed by the lad's presence and maybe even engage with him, before returning to their caves to sleep the day away. She quickly found her answer. Pushing the boy back so he stood on his own, arms wrapped around himself and head bowed in misery.

" **Hiccup! Come with me!"** Twilight warbled brightly, latching her gummy jaws firmly around Hiccup's arm and dragging him out of the cave, a plan forming in her head.

As Hiccup struggled to keep up with her bounding pace, Twilight decided she would bring the boy to those who shared his curious and creative outlook. she just hoped they hadn't left yet.

And with that, a heavy-hearted Hiccup was dragged into the forest by a Nightfury into yet another adventure that could either rejuvenate him or destroy him.

For his day had only begun…...

...and it would be a long time before nightfall!

* * *

 **And another chapter done!**

 **I wanted to blast through some time here as well as some info on Nightfuries so I hoped it flowed OK as there was lots of ground to cover and bits of house-keeping I wanted to sort out.**

 **The encounter with Midnight tackles an issue not many fanfics look at. Even if the numbers don't match my take on dragons in the HTTYD movie-verse, I still believe Toothless would far outlive Hiccup, given the right circumstances.**

 **The argument Midnight poses was also inspired by an old episode of the 'Superman' T.V. show from the 1990's where Lois Lane has a disturbing vision of the future where she ages and Superman stays young and it is actually quite sad to watch so I figured I'd incorporate the same elements here with Toothless and Hiccup. True, Hiccup focuses more on the negative aspects. But that's the frame of mind he is put in.**

 **The Nightfury called Garudo, I named after Garudamon, one of my favourite Digi-mon. Don't know if he'll turn up again. We will see.**

 **In the next chapter, Twilight introduces Hiccup to a new group of potential friends while Toothless hunts with Shade. All seems to go well, but that's never any guarantee on the Isle of Night. Is it?**

 **As always reviews, P.M,s comments and questions are all welcome and very much appreciated.**

 **It feels like a really great time to be a HTTYD fanfic writer!**

 **To my buddy Gordon...Soon….very soon...approximately 2 chapters from now...but keep it under your hat!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	27. We're the Young Ones

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Thanks so much for the great reaction to the previous chapter and to all of you who joined as favouriters and followers.**

 **Really wasn't sure if it would work. But you guys enjoyed it and that's what keeps me going. Some very cool points were raised and I'm hoping to address those issues in future chapters.**

 **Not much to say about this chapter except the tone of it as maybe another nice change of pace.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 27 – We're the Young Ones**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part X)**

 _ **In the last chapter, time passed swiftly for Hiccup with**_ _ **lots of ups and downs as he got used**_

 _ **to living on the Isle of Night.**_

 _ **However a disturbing revelation from a malicious Midnight informed Hiccup**_ _ **that**_ _ **Toothless would**_

 _ **far outlive him, causing the boy yet more pain.**_

 _ **Then Twilight claimed to know how to cheer**_ _ **Hiccup up and dragged him away.**_

 _ **What does the Dragoness have in mind?**_

 _ **Read on and find out?**_

* * *

 **Hiccup's P.O.V.**

Hiccup had been dragged through the forest before.

There were those many times when Snotlout, Astrid, the Twins and an always reluctant Fishlegs had tied him up in a sack and dragged him roughly into the wilds of Berk to endure countless tortures.

Then there was that time he went hunting with Stoick. In a remarkable feat he had hit a boar with an arrow attached to a rope, only to realise too late, that the end of it had become entangled around his ankles. So when the boar bolted through many a hedge and briar patch, a poor, screaming, unfortunate Hiccup was dragged along for the very painful ride. It was followed, by a more painful scolding from his father, complaining at the hours he and other Vikings had to spend searching for him. It was capped off by more mockery from the village once the word of the incident had spread.

All in all he had not been fortunate in the forest with others. So now he was having just as rough a time with an insane Nightfury.

The uneven terrain was not helped by Hiccup being weighed down with his nightmarish thoughts. What Midnight had said had shaken him badly.

It wasn't that Hiccup didn't want to die or was even afraid to die. In fact he had despairingly wished for such a fate many a time. It was the chance that his one and only friend would forget him. Hiccup had been overlooked, marginalised and forgotten so much back on Berk so it broke his heart that he might be forgotten by the one creature who mattered to him. He had already been through so much with Toothless, the chance of him being reduced to nothingness, less than a memory, chilled him to the bone. It truly did mean he was useless if even the greatest things he did were forgotten as time and the Nightfuries indifferently moved forward, leaving him to vanish in their wake, as if his life never mattered at all.

It was the blunt, uncaring nature of it all. It was somehow wrong. Like a betrayal of everything they had done. On a purely personal selfish level, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third wanted to _matter._

But now, thanks to Midnight, that seemed unlikely and the troubled Viking boy was succumbing to the idea of just curling up in a corner of his cave and getting it over with, so nature could run it's unrelenting course, without him getting in the way anymore. The boy was shaken from his thoughts as Twilight tugged again on his arm.

"T-T-T-Twi-l-l-l-ligh-t-t-t-t!" Hiccup shuddered loudly, tripping and stumbling about as he was dragged unceremoniously by the dragoness that was striding briskly past trees and through bushes, "do you….Ow!...t-t-think you….woah!...c-c-could s-s-slow…..look out for the…UGH!...down p-p-p-please!"

Despite the awkwardness of Hiccup's movements and the unbalanced way he squirmed, Twilight's pace did not slow and her gums remained firmly gripped around his arm. In these movements of madness Hiccup remembered Astrid wildly flailing around in Toothless' jaws back on Berk the day they left. The mewling screams she made that dark and fateful day echoed in Hiccup's ears as the dragon panted and grunted beside him. It made him feel desperately weak again. He seemed to be the plaything of everyone around him. He was to be shunted about, used and abused , never to have any say himself and now it seemed Twilight had finally made her move to claim him as her plaything.

It was humiliating and Hiccup, already emotionally unstable from Midnight's verbal attack had had enough. Looking for something to grab on to, Hiccup threw out his free arm and caught hold of a low hanging branch. Miraculously the branch did not break and it brought the ebony dragoness to a sudden standstill, though she kept hold of Hiccup's other arm.

Gasping heavily, Hiccup eyed the Nightfury with barely held desperation as she looked at him in surprise, "Twilight! You…are…hurting…my….arm!"

Twilight's silver eyes sparkled as she looked at him with an expression he could barely comprehend. There was a strange energy to them, like she was enjoying this, like this was some kind of game. It scared and angered the boy in equal measure.

"I can't move as fast as you if you're holding on to me like that!" Hiccup pressed again as he felt the solid, yet slimy gums of the dragon through the fabric of his sleeve.

Now he could see the dragon's eye change as she swapped glances between the boy and her wings. Or more appropriately, the space _between_ her wings, as in the place where he would ride Toothless.

Hiccup's eyes widened and Twilight's narrowed as both boy and dragoness came to the same realisation.

Before the boy could protest, Twilight swatted his arm with her wing forcing him to let go of the tree and stumble to the ground. Before he hit the floor though, Twilight's sinuous tail had Hiccup spun, twisted and flipped in such a way that the Viking boy had no idea which way was up. When he finally landed softly on his chest, he felt the familiar heartbeat of a dragon, the soft yet tough texture of Nightfury scales and the feeling of powerful muscles beneath his body. Looking forward he saw Twilight eyeing him over her shoulder, a wry smile across her face.

" **If you can't run with me holding you, then I'll run with you holding me!"** she warbled playfully, **"Hold on tight boy!"**

Again Hiccup heard Toothless' words coming from his sister and with a slack jaw and wide eyes Hiccup knew what was coming. Lying flat on the Nightfury's back Hiccup instinctively grabbed hold of where Twilight's wings met her body and before he could say "Twilight, this is a really bad…..

…IIIIDDDEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The female dragon launched forward with an explosion of speed, resuming her running at an even greater pace while a terrified and exhilarated Hiccup clung on tightly, desperately hoping he would survive this land based dragon ride as he had survived the many sky-born rides on his best friend.

He snatched glances at the forest around him and marvelled as the sunlight played and danced through the rapidly passing canopy. As the dragon's running rhythm evened out and became less bumpy, Hiccup realised something.

Twilight had planned this the whole time!

* * *

 **Twilight's P.O.V.**

' _ **Finally!'**_

That was the main thought that pulsed through the female Nightfury's mind as she danced and zig-zagged her way through the trees on the way to her destination.

' _ **Finally she had the fascinating boy on her back!'**_

Twilight had observed and learnt so much about Hiccup since he first arrived. At first she thought this boy had enslaved her brother into being nothing more than beast of burden. However once she witnessed their amazing flight demonstration 10 days ago and every evening since, she knew that their bond was far deeper than mere owner and pet. And since that night, all the dragoness could think about was what it might feel like to have a rider.

She fought the urge to ask Hiccup, not wanting to appear weak or subservient to the human in front of her own kind or run afoul of her elder brother's possessive streak. Her curiosity got so bad she would have to excuse herself from the boy's presence at the strangest of times and go for a calming flight, even when she was supposed to be looking after him.

But now the right circumstances had occurred and the boy looked so upset, almost literal waves of despair radiating off of him when she found him lying on the cave floor, Twilight knew that having Hiccup ride her would satisfy both of their needs. As she ran, Twilight felt the weight of Hiccup, such as it was, bounce between her wings as he held on. As the run progressed Twilight altered her posture and body movements to ensure Hiccup had a smoother ride. Doing so made Twilight aware of her body in a brand new way. She smiled as she constantly analysed this new style of movement; how she had to realign her balance, adjust her footing and keep her wings tightly closed to compensate for Hiccup's position.

The excitement of this new experience drove Twilight crazy with joy and fascination. After so long she finally started to get an insight into how her brother felt with the human on his back and just how strange and tantalising an experience it was!

As her heart and feet pounded away, Twilight wanted to take things further. She wanted to spread her wings and take off, experiencing this feeling to its fullest. Explore what it meant to have another life sharing the same space with her, to have a bond of trust so strong that her rider could jump off, knowing with unbreakable certainty she would catch them. Just like Hiccup and Shadow.

But the Dragoness refrained. Not only would it push her and Hiccup's friendship past any reasonable boundary, with nothing really for the boy to hold on to, the danger of him falling off and hurting himself was too great. She would not the risk the boy's health or Shadow's vengeance.

The Dragoness warbled in delight as she revelled in finally satisfying her curiosity as more of the forest raced by.

* * *

 **General P.O.V.**

Both boy and dragon seemed to relax as Twilight continued running. The rushing of the air coupled with the rhythmic pounding of the dragons feet in the soft earth gave a much more comfortable ride and Hiccup felt the greater the distance he put between himself and the rocky nest, the better he felt. The air that rushed past tussling his auburn hair was a refreshing change from the still and stifling quiet of the cave. Hiccup shut his eyes to take in the fresh scents of wild flowers and pines as Twilight ran onwards.

Eventually the dragon gradually slowed to a complete halt and Hiccup raised his head to see their destination. Both Twilight and the boy were breathing heavily as Hiccup slid from the Nightfury's back to plop down onto the soft grassy floor.

"That…..was….uh" Hiccup rasped.

"… **foolish I know…."** Twilight cooed, fearing she had crossed some sort of line.

"Well I was going to say terrifying, horrifying and even a bit mortifying," Hiccup drawled sarcastically as he dragged himself to his feet before smiling warmly at the Nightfury, "but…it was…..fun….thanks Twilight!"

" **I apologize!"** the silver-eyed dragon pressed only to be halted by Hiccup who placed a placating hand on her shoulder

"You were planning that...me riding you...weren't you?" Hiccup asked not breaking eye contact.

 **"Yes"** Twilight sighed in defeat, **"I had to know how it felt, was it is like for Shadow so that I may know him better."**

"And it was fun to scare me, don't forget that!..." Hiccup retorted, eliciting a warble from Twilight "…..just ask next time okay?" the boy chuckled.

"… **of course…."** Twilight intoned.

"So….where are we anyway?" Hiccup asked breaking contact to survey the woods around them "What Nightfuries would be all the way out here?"

Laughter suddenly broke the quiet forest and Hiccup swung his head in every direction to try and pinpoint its location. It sounded like the child's laughter that had haunted his thoughts only a short time ago and Hiccup winced slightly as the singular laugh was joined by another barking giggle, followed by another and another. Soon the trees were echoing with a cacophony of exuberance as Hiccup followed Twilight to the top a small rise.

Reaching the top and looking down, Hiccup's eyes widened as he beheld a beautiful glade with a small stream running through it. But what caught his attention over and above the place's natural beauty was the small crowd of tiny Nightfuries playing and frolicking near the water. Off to the side were two adult Nightfuries lounging at the base of a large tree, keeping an eye on their charges whilst swatting annoying insects away with their tails.

" **You wanted to be amongst lots of Nightfuries Hiccup? Well here they are!"** Twilight crooned as she made her way down the hill toward the pair of black dragons, the Viking boy sticking by her side, still marvelling at the beauty all around him.

"It's….it's a nursery!" Hiccup gasped in wonder.

" **Hah! Very good boy, you caught on fast. Hail Tailspin! Hail Avalonia!"** the dragoness warbled cheerily as they came close to the two female Nightfuries resting by the tree, their attention now fixed warily on the Viking runaway.

" **Hail Twilight!"** Avalonia crooned respectfully in reply, **"What brings the Alpha's daughter to our humble vigil?"**

" **I would introduce our guest to the young ones."** Twilight intoned evenly as she butted Hiccup toward the elder dragons with her wings and snout, **"he wishes to see the love and care with which we raise our kind…seeing he was not raised with such kindness by his own!"**

" **Oh?!"** Avalonia exclaimed as she took a good long look at the suddenly sheepish and embarrassed Hiccup who was not expecting Twilight to be so forthcoming with the details she had learned of his life. His downcast gaze was all the Nightfuries needed to know the truth of Twilight's words.

" **Well that is unacceptable"** Avalonia intoned sagely and as one, the two Nightfuries stood and came either side of the wary boy. Before Hiccup knew it, his body was mashed between the heads of the females as they purred and nuzzled him affectionately.

"Oh, OK guys….I mean _ladies_ …ah...much as I appreciate this…it's…really not helping my self-esteem," Hiccup drawled as he shot an uncomfortable look at Twilight who simply giggled in return. Still Hiccup would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate the contact and the feelings behind it.

"So uh, ladies? How about we meet the others?" Hiccup asked hopefully to be free of his Nightfury nanny-ing session.

" **Very well boy, young-ones, YOUNG-ONES!"** Avalonia barked toward the rambunctious group that was still oblivious to Hiccup's arrival, **"We have a guest! The** _ **human**_ **has come to visit!"**

On hearing this, the raucous group of small dragons froze and simply stared at Hiccup with wide, curious eyes. For the few seconds they stood there, Hiccup couldn't help but feel intimidated by the intense stares coming from the about fifteen strong pack of small Nightfuries. They had eyes that were questioning everything about him, gauging him as either friend or foe, predator or prey. Hoping to dispel the awkwardness Hiccup gave a small wave and uttered a very nervous "Uh…..hi?"

The next moments were insane. At Hiccup's greeting the group of Nightfuries exploded into life and charged toward him enmasse, the air filled with squeals, chirps and barks. Hiccup threw both his arms up shouting "woah woah woah!...umfp!...ah gods!" as he was knocked to the floor by the stampede and assaulted with sniffs, prods, licks and a bombardment of childlike questions and comments.

" **Wow! He's here!"**

" **I never thought I'd actually see one!**

" **He tastes funny, like flowers and deer with the skin still on!"**

" **Where are his wings? Can't he fly?"**

" **Duh stupid! Humans can't fly! They don't have wings or scales!"**

" **Look at his long legs!"**

" **Why does that fur come off and this fur doesn't?"**

" **Be careful! Daddy and Mummy say he belongs to the First-born!"**

" **Lemme in Talon! I wanna see it!"**

" **CAN HE COME PLAY WITH US?!"**

It was this final question that set the entire group off on another frenzy of activity as they jumped and bobbed up and down, making pathetic begging faces and pleas at the feet of the three female adults. While the young ones warbled and trilled at their draconic babysitters, Hiccup managed to sit up and recover from his playful mauling. The Viking boy was totally overwhelmed by the young dragon's reaction and couldn't remove the exhilarated look of wonder from his face as they danced around him.

Avalonia, clearly the recognized senior in charge of the group, judging from her size and the aged tone of her voice, raised her head, looked down her nose and hummed bringing a sudden hush to the hyper-active younglings. She had that look parents give their children when they are deliberately drawing out making a decision they had already made, if only to make the young ones beg even more.

Even Hiccup was unsure if the dragoness would allow it, seeing the almighty disruption his mere presence caused amongst the small Nightfuries. But with a smirk Avalonia came forward, gripping Hiccup by the neck of his tunic and hauling him to his feet intoning sagely, **"Though we should already have begun our return, I will grant you an extra hour with the human, but then we** _ **will**_ **go back to the nest, your parents and sleep!"**

The collective group once again erupted into fits of laughter and chirps of excitement as they took charge of Hiccup who was buffeted and nudged away toward the middle of the glade. Avalonia reminded the young Nightfuries to be gentle with Hiccup seeing he was not as robust as they were, to which she received typically childlike dismissive comments from youthful dragons who obviously thought they knew better than their seniors.

Hiccup allowed himself to be swept along in the youthful exuberance of the group and smiled at the prospect of actually being allowed to engage in an act of play. After a certain age He hadn't usually been included willingly in the games back on Berk, for his weak and sickly nature singled him out as unworthy to participate. Most times the children of Berk were forced to make Hiccup play by parents afraid of their chief and any games he was involved in usually ended in him running and hiding from an inevitable thrashing. But here and now on the Isle of Night, Hiccup was surrounded by fun loving creatures that only sought to quench their curiosity and enjoy their lives in a way Hiccup never really had before. There were no agendas here, no schemes, no wars for dominance, no lives hanging in the balance, simply pure unbridled fun!

It was an intoxicating feeling and Hiccup wanted to absorb as much of it as possible.

The sun continued to warm the glade and Hiccup threw himself into many activities such as chasing and being chased by the small Nightfuries, trying to jump over the stream in one bound, tumbling down the incline of a grassy bank and even climbing nearby trees. As the play continued, Twilight smiled as she began to hear Hiccup's laugh transform from awkward, shy titters to full blown laughs of enjoyment. It was a very interesting sound, human laughter. Especially the nasally kind Hiccup made as he tried to hang upside-down from a tree branch with a few of the other younglings only to have it snap and leave them all in a hysterical pile of human limbs, tails and wings. The silver-eyed Nightfury lay beside Tailspin and Avalonia and thanked the Stars of Draco that this idea of hers was having the desired effect of helping the boy forget his troubles and hopefully connect with a group that had less prejudices than their elders. If Hiccup was going to win anyone over, Twilight figured the best place to start would be with the newest generation.

 **"Hey! What's this?"** a female youngling called Moonlighter chirped, as she sniffed at the strange box made of dead animal skin.

"Oh! That's my notebook!" Hiccup replied as he untangled himself from the other Nightfuries on the ground, "It must have fallen out when the branch gave way"

 **"What does it do?"** Darkclaw asked as he began sniffing the book as well.

"Well it doesn't _do_ anything" Hiccup explained, picking up the journal and flicking through its many pages, "I can put drawings in it, note down any ideas I have or just write how I'm feeling."

A chorus of **'oo's'** and **'ahh's'** met the Viking's explanation, followed by several requests to see some of the things the journal contained. Hiccup obliged and the gaggle of younglings sat enraptured as Hiccup read some passages recounting his journey to the Isle of Night, tried vainly to explain how some of his inventions worked and then showed some of the Nightfury portraits he had drawn. The last part fascinated the youngsters immensely seeing elders they knew depicted in the skilled charcoal lines Hiccup had drawn. Pretty soon they were all clamouring for pictures and Hiccup was thankful for Avalonia reminding them they had to leave soon, taking their attention away from his drawings, seeing he would never have enough paper to draw them all.

Heading back via the stream, Hiccup and the others tried to jump over it again and every Nightfury made it flawlessly. But when it came to Hiccup's turn, he wasn't concentrating, trying to keep his journal safe. Landing very awkwardly, Hiccup flapped his arms to stay balanced only to feel the inexorable pull of gravity overpower his body and pull him into the chilly embrace of the cold stream. The sound of hysterical laughter filled the air as Hiccup's head burst back to the surface and he spat out a mouthful of water.

Seeing the commotion Twilight, Tailspin and Avalonia came closer, anxious that Hiccup might be hurt but the wide smile on the boy's face reassured them that he was fine.

In the stream, Hiccup looked around and saw the laughing dragons as they rolled around on the bank and in the water. Before on Berk, this exact scenario had happened and Hiccup had felt thoroughly ashamed as the mocking laughter and jeers of his own people came his way. Maybe it was the setting or maybe it was the company, but this time was different and while he did feel like a clumsy fool, Hiccup couldn't help feeling the Nightfuries were laughing _with_ him and not _at_ him. Pretty soon he was laughing and chuckling as well as other Nightfury younglings threw themselves haphazardly into the stream beside him.

It was another moment of happiness that Hiccup planned to hold to for as long as he could. He then got an idea and hoped it would pay off. Sinking back beneath the surface Hiccup planted his feet and jumped up to stand in the shallow stream, sending lots of water splashing all over the dragons around him. Putting on his best 'Stoick the Vast' voice Hiccup roared.

"RAAAH! YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME?! I AM HICCUP, THE RIVER TROLL AND I AM HUNGRY! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I EAT?!"

The surrounding dragons looked at him curiously, stunned by the volume of his voice and the strange posture he had adopted with, bent knees, hands raised in the air like claws, an arched back and an exaggerated angry look on his face. Hiccup grinned widely at his captivated audience and bellowed again.

"I EAT LITTLE NIGHTFURIES! RAAHHH!"

It was then the other younglings caught on to his game and a small female called Wind-Dancer, shrieked in pretend horror, **"Oh no! A water troll! Quick everyone! Flee into the woods Aaaahh!"** At that, the entire group of younglings turned on their heels and charged away out of the glade, down a trail that led further into the woods. A soaking Hiccup, snatched up his notebook from where it had fallen on the bank and took off in pursuit, still shouting.

"COME BACK LITTLE NIGHTFURIES! IT'S ALMOST LUNCHTIME MUWHA HA HA HA!"

Ignoring the elder dragons calls not to go too far away, Hiccup ran as fast as he could to keep up with his playmates only to find them dashing around, up and down trees, making sure he found them before taking off again in this 'cat and mice' game. The young dragons let out playful shrieks and pleas for mercy as Hiccup approached but always got out of arms reach whenever the Viking boy got close. Hiccup kept laughing in his troll voice, lunging this way and that, eliciting more laughter when he just managed to touch one of the young ones as they tripped and stumbled to get away from him.

Hiccup had never had this much fun before and was ready to call an end to the game. However Darkclaw had other plans as he jumped up on a tree stump, reared up, spread his wings out and shouted as loud as he could, his shrill male voice bringing the panicking dragons to order.

" **You do not scare me silly river-troll!"** Darkclaw intoned with mock authority " **For I am the mighty Deathwing! King of the Nightfuries! And I eat river-trolls for lunch! Come my Nightfuries let us vanquish this troll together!"**

Darkclaw's call to arms had the desired effect and soon they had all gathered together into a moving wall of wings, talons and tails and were smirking as they zeroed their eyes on their target. The 'river-troll' that was Hiccup Haddock the Third.

Hiccup, seeing the tables of the game turning against him, let his smile fade and muttered a sarcastic "Oh boy! Any chance of a head start?" A slight nod from Darkclaw was all that was needed for Hiccup to turn on the spot and dash further down the trail. He left behind a small horde of barking and laughing Nightfuries determined to end the game in their favour.

* * *

 **Well, that was fun?**

 **I really didn't see this chapter coming at all!**

 **It was supposed to pass much quicker, but the more I wrote, the more I got into it and the more I enjoyed it. Originally Midnight was supposed to show up and turn the young ones against Hiccup and chase him away to feel more miserable. But she'd already done her damage in the previous chapter so I figured why not give Hiccup a break?**

 **But rest assured Hiccup isn't going to be getting away that easily.**

 **In the next chapter Hiccup gets an unpleasant surprise.**

 **As always any reviews, comments, P.M's and questions are more than welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	28. My Reflection

**Greetings all.**

 **Here's the new chapter for this story. It's short and sweet and folks were demanding another upload so hopefully you'll like it.**

 **That said, on with the show!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Return of the Nightfuries**_

 _ **Chapter 28 – My Reflection**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons – Part XI)**_

 _ **Last time Twilight brought Hiccup to meet a nursery of young Nightfuries.**_

 _ **Hiccup ran off into the woods to hide so they could find him.**_

 _ **Who will find who in the woods?**_

 _ **Read on and find out?**_

* * *

 **(Somewhere in the forest, The Isle of Night, late morning)**

"Breathe!...that's the key!...keep breathing!...legs don't fail me now!...oh yeah breathe….breathe…..breathe!"

As he sprinted as fast as he could through the forest , Hiccup kept reminding himself that breathing was indeed an essential part of staying alive, especially when you had the threat of a pack of Nightfury younglings chasing you down.

The Viking had left the group far behind and counted himself blessed by the gods he had not yet tripped on a tree root or ran face-first into a branch. As the trail disappeared, the forest seemed to welcome him with open arms as he darted nimbly between the trees. Eventually Hiccup ran out of steam and scrambled toward a thick grouping of tall oaks, nestling snuggly between two of their high exposed roots. At first he couldn't hear anything save but his own racing heartbeat and his deep gasping breaths, his lungs screaming for air. But soon, a loud collective of high pitched roars signalled that his small Nightfury playmates had begun their hunt.

Hiccup knew they would find him. They were dragons after all and Nightfuries at that. Hiccup had no doubt that even the young ones possessed heightened senses of smell and hearing like their elders and would discover him in very short order. The anticipation of being found at any moment made Hiccup grin and he had to work hard to stop his breathing becoming fuel for laughter as he rapidly inhaled and exhaled.

However after a few minutes went by without him being discovered, Hiccup peaked out to see if his Nightfury pursuers were any closer to finding him. It was the tightness of his clothing and feeling of cold moisture as he moved that alerted Hiccup to the reason he had yet to be found. He was still soaking wet from falling in the stream.

"It must have hidden my scent" Hiccup whispered to himself smugly as he examined his drenched coverings and settled back down into his comfortable hiding place, looking forward to teasing the young dragons for their failure to find him.

Suddenly, Hiccup caught something moving in his peripheral vision. At first he thought it was a branch blowing in the wind or a squirrel scurrying up a tree. But as the boy focused more, he noticed the object was definitely bigger and more defined than that.

' _It must have been one of the Nightfuries trying to sneak up on him'_ Hiccup thought as he turned to face the shadowy creature fully, ready to playfully tackle them if they charged him. However the creature made the motion to stand up and to his shock Hiccup saw what could only be described as…..

 **….a human!**

"What?" Hiccup gasped to himself as he saw the silhouette of what was clearly a human male moving swiftly between the trees, ducking and diving, looking around is if trying to avoid being detected. Hiccup's jaw dropped at the prospect of another human or humans being on the Isle of Night.

' _Had Deathwing, Toothless and all the others lied to him? Did these people live here freely or were they prisoners of the dragons? Or had raiders somehow found the Isle of Night and were now currently sneaking through the forest to hunt and kill the Nightfuries?'_

Each possibility seemed as absurd as the last, but what Hiccup was seeing could not be denied, so he left his hiding place and moved as quickly and as quietly as he could through the undergrowth to get a better look at this strange new-comer. It was at times like this he wished he had his knife or his forge hammer. For if this person was indeed hostile, he might at least try and put up a fight to stop whatever malicious plans they had for him or the dragons.

The stranger moved with unnerving speed, jumping from place to place in the blink of an eye, forcing Hiccup to quicken his steps. Hiccup was so focused on following this shadowy intruder, he didn't hear the barks of Darkclaw and the others frantically calling for him to come out of hiding, lest they all get into trouble.

Eventually the man came to a stop in a more open break in the trees and stood looking out into the forest with his back to Hiccup. The Viking teen finally managed to get a better look at him as he crept forward, a fallen branch in his hand in case he had to defend himself.

The man himself was short and thin, with long gangly arms and legs. Hiccup now guessed he wasn't an adult but more of a young man, possibly even close his own age. As Hiccup got closer, he saw that the person wore a green tunic and fur vest quite similar to his, entertaining the notion that perhaps he was a fellow Berkian. However Hiccup's brows began to crease deeply in confusion as he noticed that the man he was now so close to had a wild mane of auburn-red hair that was exactly like his own.

In fact every detail Hiccup examined was identical to him in every way. It was like looking at himself from behind and Hiccup's hands, voice and legs trembled at what he was now witnessing.

"T-t-t-turn around!" Hiccup uttered shakily, holding his makeshift weapon across his body defensively "I d-d-don't want to hurt you!"

Very slowly the figure turned around and the Viking teen nearly fainted from the shock of what he saw.

Hiccup gazed into his own green eyes, saw his own pale face dashed with freckles, beheld the shaggy dark hair that was the twin of what framed his own features. Hiccup scrutinized every aspect of this doppelganger that stood no more than 6 feet from him. It was all there, the thin body, the haggard, soaking wet clothes, the delicate hands, even the slight bent in his stance that showed he favoured his right leg. It was the perfect replica of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and it was staring right back at the original Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

"W-w-w-who are you?" Hiccup gasped again and tightened his grip around his branch for comfort more than anything else.

The imposter simply cocked his head, smirked and pointed at him, making Hiccup take a single step back. This 'thing' whatever it was, also had his mannerisms copied perfectly. It was like staring into a mirror, only this reflection seemed to be alive and with a will of its own. And it was telling Hiccup that it was him.

' _Was this some prank of Loki? Had the trickster God finally come down from Asgard to replace him as part of some grander, more elaborate scheme?'_

Hiccup already figured his life was the longstanding punch-line of one of Loki's jokes so the notion, though outrageous, didn't seem that farfetched to the Berkian. As the moments dragged out and the duplicate remained silent, the scenario became too much for Hiccup to handle, as he tried to wrap his mind around what the Helheim was going on. Hiccup felt anger swell up from within him. Here was some _'thing'_ coming to replace him! It would take his place and Hiccup feared no-one, not even Toothless would be any the wiser. The thought of his best friend not even noticing that he was gone, and automatically accepting this pretender drove Hiccup crazy with despair. He wouldn't even get to live his short life with Toothless if this other version of himself got him out of the way. This must have been another part of Midnight's scheme. And Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the real one that is, would not stand for it.

"Who are you?! TELL ME!" Hiccup shouted to force some kind of response from the imposter other than a mocking lop-sided smirk.

The 'other Hiccup' merely shook his head and closed the gap until there was barely a foot between them; Hiccup's frantic breathing the only real sound that could be heard. Lowering his weapon to the side, disarmed by the closeness of his living reflection, Hiccup brought his free hand up and reached out to touch his other self.

Hiccup's eyes widened as his hand, instead of meeting the resistance of fur, fabric and flesh, passed straight through the body of the apparition and came out the other side.

"WHOAH!" Hiccup yelped as he snapped his hand back and staggered a few feet away, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THOR ARE YOU?!"

The sound of other voices and the trampling of foliage brought Hiccup's attention back the wider world. Listening closer he realised the younglings must have heard him shouting and were closing in on his position. It filled him with relief to be in their presence once again. For whatever this ghostly apparition was, surely it wouldn't attempt to harm him while in the company of so many small fire-breathing reptiles. But his relief was short lived, for the phantom that bore his likeness took off running toward the sound of the approaching dragons and began waving at them. Before Hiccup could protest the hollow image of him had distracted his playmates and had begun to lead them in the opposite direction.

"What? No! Wai...UMPHF!"

Hiccup didn't get the chance to complete his horror filled sentence as blackness violently engulfed him. As his vision was obscured, a powerful force grabbed his wrist making him drop his makeshift weapon. Hiccup tried to struggle and call for help but over-powering black limbs smothered his mouth and trapped him in a restrictive embrace. Before he knew it, Hiccup could feel the familiar beating of mighty wings as the earth lost its pull on his body and the black mass that surrounded him. Hiccup kept writhing as much as he could but his exertions and the stress of the situation were taking their toll on him.

As exhaustion and despair sapped the strength from his body and spirit, Hiccup realised something as unconsciousness began to claim him.

He had been led straight into a trap and now a Nightfury was taking him away!

* * *

 _ **(The Glade, 20 minutes later)**_

" **WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE JUST VANISHED?!"**

Twilight's irate roar made every single youngling cower to the point they were flat on their bellies, some with their heads buried under their paws.

At first Twilight was ready to allow Avalonia to scold them all for returning so late. But on seeing Hiccup was longer among them and smelling the literal stink of fear emanating from the panicking group, the Dragoness was immediately put on edge. She had questioned them for five minutes straight before Darkclaw sheepishly recounted how he and the others were hunting for Hiccup. After they had seen the boy, they gave chase and surrounded him in a small clearing. However much to their collective confusion Hiccup simply waved and faded away to nothingness. Vanished.

Twilight's reaction had not been pleasant and now she was prowling around the group, her core thrumming erratically with worry and outrage, daring one of the small Nightfuries to respond.

" **It's l-l-l-like we said"** Moonlighter begged, **"one second he was there and the next…he just went…..poof!"**

Twilight roared with frustration at her apparent failure to protect her human charge, startling the already terrified younglings. Realising she was unfairly scaring them, Twilight reigned in her temper, scratching furrows in the ground with her claws.

" **Avalonia!"** Twilight ground out, **"take the young ones home. Tailspin, you will accompany me in the search!"**

" **Very well!"** Avalonia replied as she hurriedly got the still whimpering younglings up on their feet and ushered them out of the glade. When it was just Twilight and Tailspin left, the Alpha's daughter began striding purposefully toward the trail.

" **We must work swiftly Tailspin!"** Twilight uttered with panicked urgency **"We must resolve this before Shadow finds out!..."**

"… **Before I find out** _ **what!?"**_

Twilight froze at the sound of the unmistakable male voice. Turning her head, she beheld the last dragon on this world she wanted to see right now. There, standing just across the glade, a very confused look on his face, was Toothless with Shade just behind him. Seeing the worry on his sister's face, Toothless trotted over to stand in front of her and seeing her refuse to meet his gaze, became even more concerned.

" **Sister, what has happened? Is something wrong? Where is Hiccup?"**

It was this last question that made Twilight visibly cringe and Toothless, seeing this, felt his features begin to darken with suspicion.

" **Oh Shadow! I'm so sorry!"** Twilight intoned sorrowfully as she forced herself to look Toothless in the eyes.

Eyes that were now afire with a worry and a rage greater than any she had seen before. Greater than what she had mustered in front of the young ones not minutes ago. Though Shadow's worry for the human warmed her heart, Shadow's rage at what might have happened to Hiccup and what his vengeance would be truly terrified her. Toothless stepped in close to her face and snarled with barely repressed ire.

" **Twilight?...WHERE IS HICCUP?!"**

* * *

 **Dun dun duuuuunnnnn!**

 **So Hiccup has been kidnapped. Next chapter we will find out by whom and where he has been taken.**

 **Many thanks to all the folks who have been sticking with this story.**

 **It really has been fun to write this stuff and your encouragement has certainly kept me going. This chapter is a lot shorter from the others as it felt a better cut off point here. The next one might be longer but no promises! Lolz!**

 **As always any comments, questions, reviews and P.M's are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take of your selves and each other**

 **Razor95**


	29. Blinded by the Light

**Greetings all!**

 **Welcome to the next chapter.**

 **Nothing to say really except...**

 **...Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 29 – Blinded by the Light**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part XII)**

 _ **Last time Hiccup was abducted by a Nightfury.**_

 _ **While in the glade, Twilight thought she could find Hiccup before Toothless found out.**_

 _ **Only for Toothless to turn up at that exact moment.**_

 _ **What will Toothless find?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **(**_ **Somewhere** _ **on the Isle of Night late morning)**_

" **Breathe!...that's the key!...keep breathing!...senses don't fail me now!...oh yeah breathe….breathe…..breathe!"**

As he sprinted as fast as he could through the forest , Toothless kept reminding himself that breathing was indeed an essential part of staying alive and keeping calm, especially when you had just been informed that your best friend had mysteriously disappeared. Added to that it was on an Island full of powerful Nightfuries that could kill a human in ways too numerous to count.

Toothless tried to calm himself as he raced forward, stopping only to give the forest floor a cursory sniff for any traces of Hiccup's scent. The prospect of Hiccup being taken by another of his kind made his blood boil and his core shake, spurring him ever forward. If any harm came to his human, Toothless privately vowed his vengeance would be steeped in infamy. He had already given his sister a thorough chewing-out over her lapse in supervising Hiccup and it showed as the dragoness behind him kept uttering whimpers of apology as the group ploughed through the undergrowth in search of the missing human. Together it was Toothless, Twilight, Shade and Raven whom Toothless knew was trailing him, so he called her out and drafted her into the search party. The four Nightfuries were relentless in their search, with Raven scanning from the skies as she flew overhead will the three Alpha siblings overturned boulders, looked up trees and checked any caves they found.

Suddenly Twilight let out a bark indicating she had found something. Sniffing the air, the silver-eyed dragoness bolted past some oak trees and launched herself toward a new destination followed swiftly by her fellow dragons. Eventually she burst into a small clearing and sniffed frantically at a branch on the ground while Toothless, Shade and Raven gathered around her.

" **His scent is faint, but he _was_ holding this!"** Twilight barked, prodding the branch with her snout.

" **Here, Shadow, tracks!"** Raven crooned ominously as she pointed with her claw to a pair of indentations in the ground that unmistakably belonged to a large Nightfury.

Toothless paced about growling and snarling as he thought of the dragons that would have the audacity to do such a thing. **"It must have been Blacklight….or one of his minions!"** Toothless grumbled **"Perhaps Skydive or Raiden! Only they would be so brazen!"**

" **What shall we do brother? We cannot simply accuse our kin without proof! And besides, the younglings said he _vanished,_ not that he was taken!" ** Shade intoned before looking nervously at Toothless, his voice slightly wavering as he spoke, **"Are we sure the human hasn't finally** _ **run off?"**_

Toothless stopped his pacing and stared balefully at his younger brother who was instantly regretting voicing his question. As the First-Born prowled slowly toward him, Toothless' voice was deep with fury and threat, **"And what exactly do you mean by 'RUN OFF'?"**

Shade, seeing his elder brother stalk toward him began stuttering apologetically backing up toward a tree as he did so **"Well…I mean…it's…..entirely possible….that he….I mean, he could have left!"**

Toothless almost had Shade pinned against the tree, ready to interrogate the issue out of him when a lazy draconic laugh broke the fierce tension of the encounter. All four Nightfuries looked up into the canopy to see where the laughter was coming from as branches shook and dislodged leaves fluttered to the ground around them. The laughter continued and the assembled dragons all looked surprised as Scythe idly walked down the trunk of a nearby tree and landed deftly on the ground, shaking out his tattered wings and grooming his scarred face.

 **"Ha ha ha ha! So disappointing to see the Alpha's children not use their spirit given wits!"** Scythe chuckled as his strolled towards them head high and attitude haughty, **"Your father will be not be impressed Shadow!"**

" **Scythe!"** Twilight growled at being spoken down to by her guard, **"Do you know what happened to Hiccup? You were supposed to be watching him!"**

" **Indeed I was watching him my princess"** the scared Nightfury replied respectfully as he began circling the group **"I watched the whole thing. I watched the boy _playing_ with the younglings, I watched how _easily_ he was lured away to this isolated spot and I watched a certain Nightfury ambush him and make off with him with barely a _sound_ or _struggle._ It was all rather impressive really. Truly a masterful capture!"**

Toothless snarled as he trudged forward. He was reaching the end of his patience as Scythe nonchalantly droned on and treated this whole matter like it was nothing but entertainment, when Hiccup's life could very well be in the balance.

" **Perhaps you do not understand the gravity of this matter!"** Toothless muttered darkly, **"You have let my human fall into the hands of my enemies! If he is harmed in any way,** _ **I shall have your head for failing your duty!"**_

The movement that happened next was so fast, it could have rivalled even Faststreak's blinding speed. Before Toothless knew it, he was flat on his back with three razor sharp talons pressed firmly against his throat while the rest of his body was pinned by Scythe's other claws and tail. One move from any of the tattered-winged dragon's claws would have meant Toothless would either be grievously injured or even killed.

" **Don't dare call my honour or duty into question First-Born!"** Scythe growled back **"You may be the Alpha's child and you may have surprised me the night of your return, but I will not tolerate such disrespect!"**

Toothless tried to retort but the pressure on his neck prevented him for saying anything intelligible, he had been so unprepared for Scythe's assault. The Nightfury prince chided himself that he still had much to relearn about duelling with his own kind, especially the veteran Royal Guard Nightfuries such as Scythe. Being so worried about Hiccup's fate, he could not think of a strategy to counter the older fighter. However as quickly as he had pinned him, Scythe released Toothless and stepped back. Toothless quickly regained his stance and looked at Scythe warily as Twilight, Shade and Raven crowded protectively around him lest the older Nightfury lash out again.

" **I….'** _ **urgh!'**_ **….apologize for…..'** _ **gragh!'**_ **...insulting you….'** _ **rurgh!'**_ **"** Toothless hacked out as he coughed and gagged to relieve the pressure on his throat. **"But I...fear...for my human, I must know, who...took...Hiccup?"**

Scythe narrowed his eyes at Toothless as he spoke gravely, **"that fear may one day get you killed Shadow, having the child here is living proof of that. However, I shall oblige your fears!"**

" **Who has him?"** Twilight begged as Toothless gasped to relieve his recovering airway.

" **The boy was taken by one we know well,"** Scythe crooned **"Hiccup currently resides at the pleasure '** _ **Ong Drago Ylt Rur Lod'!"**_

It took a moment for Toothless and the others to process the ' _Old Tongue'_ phrase Scythe had uttered but once it had sunk in Toothless' expression turned from outrage to worry. For the First-Born of Deathwing had yet to see this particular dragon since his return, and knowing his history, could only guess why the enigmatic Nightfury had taken it upon himself to abduct his human. Toothless let out a low whine and cringed at the potential harm this particular dragon could do. What if Hiccup's captor had finally fallen to his darker urges and instincts? What did he have planned for his best friend and rider?

Toothless tensed, as did the Nightfuries around him as they came to the same conclusion, most especially Twilight who had been hopeful after Hiccup's previous encounter with the dragon in question.

The Nightfury prince shifted his gaze to the North, to where the snow-capped mountains loomed high and desolate, shrouded by a bank of stormy clouds, where little life could survive, especially his precious human. Toothless began walking in that direction only to have his way barred by Scythe who knowingly shook his head, before motioning to his missing tailfin. Toothless looked at his limitation and then back to the mountains. He realised Scythe's meaning and accepted, that even at top speed, it would take him days to reach Hiccup and even then he might be too late. By then Hiccup could either be gone or...dead!

Toothless eye's narrowed as he analysed the situation, his tail flicking from side to side in agitation. It was Scythe's duty to protect the lives of the Royal Family and Toothless could not deny that. He was also formidable and being so unstable, Toothless knew he was in no condition to fight Scythe again.

Toothless didn't know if he could trust the tattered-winged Nightfury but since Scythe gave the impression he trusted the Nightfury that had taken Hiccup, he reluctantly turned his body in a new direction, but not before tearing large chunks of bark out of the trees they stood beside and howling out a loud roar of anguish.

With an angry grunt and shrug of his wings, Toothless began stalking the long trek back to the nest, deeply unsettled at this turn of events, fighting with every step the urge to turn back and start running all the way to mountains so that he could save his boy. He knew if he did, he would have four Nightfuries, two of them his siblings, fighting to hold him back and he did want to hurt them, yet above all he didn't want Hiccup to be hurt. The Nightfury shivered, as being so conflicted was threatening to spark another rage filled relapse. Already the visions, taunts and memories that were fed by his feelings of powerlessness and fear hovered at the edge of is mind and sight.

But Toothless refused to succumb. Not here. Not now. Not in front of his siblings and certainly not in front of the self-important bodyguard that was Scythe.

As he gruffly stomped along, The First-Born of Deathwing uttered a silent prayer to The Great Mother and Father Spirits that Hiccup would be safe in the company of _**'The Dragon who walks like a man!'**_

* * *

 _ **(** **Meanwhile, elsewhere** **on the Isle of Night)**_

Hiccup groaned as consciousness once again returned to him. He didn't know how long he had been out and he feared how long he would yet live once his captor or captors realised he was awake. The lost boy prepared for Midnight to jump and start harassing him again or worse.

As his senses came back to him, Hiccup felt he was lying on his back on a hard stone floor. _'A cave then'_. A dim pulsing light drew his attention and with a slight turn of his head and cracking open his eyes just a bit, Hiccup saw he was right beside a large fire-stone that was burning steadily, it's warmth and light soothing his frayed nerves. A slight draft around his feet made him shiver and he shifted his gaze downwards to see both his boots and socks had been removed. He also noticed his fur vest was gone, thus another reason why he felt the draft. He let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling of this strange, black, featureless place, confusion written over his face as to where he was, why he had been brought here and why on Midgard had they removed some of his clothes?

As if to answer his question a voice spoke out through the darkness.

" **Your coverings were wet! I had to remove them in case you caught a chill and then you have fallen ill again. I could not allow that just yet!"**

Hiccup scrambled to sit up as the ominous, deep timbered voice echoed about the cave. The scared Viking scanned the dimly lit area only for his eyes to fall upon his ghostly doppelganger who sat on the opposite side of the firestone looking at him with a friendly smile.

"What are you?" Hiccup uttered, trying not to sound too scared by the reappearance of his twin.

" **I am you!"** the replica replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

However Hiccup was not convinced for the voice that came from his twin's mouth was not his own high-pitched nasally tone but the same deep bass that echoed through the cave moments ago.

"No you're not!" Hiccup retorted with a scowl.

" **Yes I am!"** the living reflection chirped back playfully.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Hiccup yelled as he stood up, surprised that his bare feet didn't feel cold on the bare rock floor, "Whatever you are…..you are not me." He said firmly as he turned his gaze into the shadows that surrounded him, "Whatever Nightfury is doing this I want you to knock off this magic show and reveal yourself!"

The duplicate Hiccup, who was still sitting, simply laughed and in time to the deep voice rumbled out, **"Very clever boy, you do catch on very quickly!"**

And with that the fake Hiccup shimmered and dissolved into nothingness leaving behind a blank space by the firestone.

"So, are you going to come out or am I going to spend all day talking to nothing but darkness?" Hiccup drawled sarcastically, looking in every direction, trying to be ready for any attack that might come his way.

" **Very well! How about we shed a little light on our introduction!"** the voice declared dramatically.

Hiccup gasped as smaller firestones suddenly burst into life, one after another, around the edge of the cave which was far larger than he thought. It seemed like a huge black curtain was being drawn back allowing their orange glow to illuminate the space. Even up above, a small hole in the ceiling was revealed to allow a shaft of sunlight to filter down granting Hiccup a better opportunity to examine his surroundings. A tunnel to the left led away into more darkness, but at the end of the tunnel behind him, Hiccup swore he could see faint daylight streaming in, so he assumed that was the way out. All along the walls were various items that he couldn't discern, but beside one firestone, he could definitely see his vest and boots drying out.

As the shadows retreated, they all came to coalesce around one large singular mass that became more defined as the seconds ticked by. Finally the writhing swirl of shadows took the form of a large Nightfury about twice Toothless' size that gazed down at him with fiercely penetrating yellow eyes.

It was the eyes that sealed it for Hiccup. He had seen those eyes before, he had met this dragon before. But where? The large Nightfury stalked forward and brought his head down close to him, sun-fire gold burning in his irises and other colours subtlety playing across his scales in the fire-light.

" **Is this better for you…..** _ **Viking?**_ **"**

That last word sparked Hiccup's memory and his bright green eyes widened at his realisation.

" **You are Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!"** the large Nightfury rumbled deeply, a wide smirk on his face

"Yes…." Hiccup replied shakily "….and you must be…Old Lonesome I presume!"

The large Nightfury responded by opening his mouth letting an angry growl rumble out and revealing many rows of razor sharp teeth!

* * *

 **There we are guys**

 **another chapter done!**

 **I'm really trying to keep these chapters shorter so I can upload better. We got a little teaser here but in next chapter we get the full introduction to this character who was created with the great help of my buddy Gordon519. Those of you who trawl the pages of HTTYD fanfics may have an inkling as to who it is but I'm saving it for the full scene in the next chapter.**

 **It says in the story but just to be clear, Translation wise _'Ong Drago Ylt Rur Lod'_ means _'the dragon who walks like a man'_ which is a reference from one my favourite old movies. bonus points for those who guess it right!**

 **I hope you like this chapter as it shows more concern from Toothless for Hiccup and gives Scythe a bit more background into his role in society and his relationships with the others. He is one of those fiercely loyal bodyguards who isn't afraid of aggressively laying down some truth for the good of his victims. Even if they are the future leaders of the Nightfuries and allows things to happen that although unpleasant may turn out for the best. Hopefully we will see more of Scythe in future chapters.**

 **As always, any questions, reviews P.M's and comments are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	30. Hopeless Wanderer

**Greetings all**

 **Well it's finally here! No, I didn't die and no, I didn't give up.**

 **First off I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who has been messaging me about this story. These past few months have been nothing but difficult for me. having to deal with two major viral infections, several domestic changes and fluctuations in my body chemistry really did impact my ability to write. But finally I managed to pull my scattered thoughts together to craft this insanely long chapter to also mark the huge Milestone of 30 chapters of ROTNF!**

 **It's been a great run so far so I figured I would offer a little adventure and story-telling to introduce a character that has been hanging around on the periphery of the Isle of Night so far and made his debut last chapter. Here we learn all about this new comer and how it may affect Hiccup.**

 **I can't tell you how much I agonized over this chapter to get it ready as I thought for a time I couldn't even write anymore. It carries on directly after the last chapter ended and I hope I did it justice.**

 **That said on with the story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 30 – Hopeless Wanderer**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part XIII)**

 ** _Last time Toothless searched desperately for Hiccup,_**

 ** _only to be confronted by Scythe who told him Hiccup had been abducted._**

 ** _Powerless to stop it and unable to pursue, Toothless reluctantly began his journey back to the nest._**

 ** _Meanwhile Hiccup woke up in a strange cave with the Nightfury that had taken him._**

 ** _But what does this dragon want?_**

 ** _Read on and find out!_**

* * *

" **Is this better for you…..** _ **Viking?**_ **"**

That last word sparked Hiccup's memory and his bright green eyes widened at his realisation.

" **You are Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!"** the large Nightfury rumbled deeply, a wide smirk on his face

"Yes…." Hiccup replied shakily "….and you must be…Old Lonesome I presume!"

The large Nightfury responded by opening his mouth and revealing many rows of razor sharp teeth!

"Now now….let's…ah…just hold up one second!..." Hiccup uttered nervously. Fearing the worst he began to back away from the fanged maw of the approaching Nightfury. Stealing a glance over his shoulder, the boy realised he was in the perfect position to race down the tunnel that led to the exit.

' _If he could only distract the dragon somehow?'_ Hiccup figured he could at least get outside and scream for help, _'But how could he do it?'_

He couldn't reach the 'sweet-spot' under the dragon's jaw and he had no hammer to reflect a teasing light with, so what could he do?

Then, as if the gods where listening to his thoughts, they gave him the very opportunity he had been seeking. Backing up, Hiccup's bare foot hit something cold and slimy. Looking down Hiccup realised he had trod on what looked to be a pile of eels. How they got here was of no concern to the ecstatic Viking for he knew that all dragons, even Nightfuries both hated and feared the disgusting sea-snakes. Ducking down Hiccup snatched two of the eels up and began frantically waving them in front of the rapidly encroaching Nightfury.

"AH HA!…back!...s-s-stay back o-o-or else!" he threatened the dragon which had halted in its tracks, staring at the eels as he waved them from side to side, "d-don't make me use these….keep away from me!"

Hiccup's heart soared that he had finally gotten the upper hand over the dragon that had kidnapped him and smirked at the wide-eyed look that dominated the Nightfury's face. Glancing once more at the exit he brought the eels right on front of the dragon's snout and growled as best he could.

"Now, Old Lonesome!" Hiccup declared as defiantly as he dared "I don't know what you want with me but I'm leaving and if you don't let me go I'm going to shove these eels right down your thro….."

" **ACHUMP!"**

Hiccup didn't get a chance to finish his threat as the Nightfury, to the boy's shock and disgust, simply retracted his teeth and slapped his gums around the hand that held the eels. He was further encouraged to vomit his breakfast as the dragon made a loud slurping noise as he sucked the eels through his fingers and down his gullet. The dragon released Hiccup's slobber covered hand and let out a satisfied purr much to the wide-eyed horror of the boy in front of him.

" **Ah! The dark eels do add spice…as well as some extra fire human!"** the Nightfury crooned as a ball of dark green light began to build in his mouth and his eyes narrowed in glee, **"now that that's over with….."** Seeing his one advantage disappear right in front of him, even somehow strengthening his opponent, a horrified Hiccup abandoned what little of a plan he had and bolted down the tunnel as fast as his gangly legs and bare feet would carry him.

" **Ha ha ha ha! you can't be serious human!"** the Nightfury called as it laughed manically, **"There is no escape!"**

But Hiccup didn't care. He kept running. If he got outside, he would at least stand a better chance than trapped here in the cave. The light at the end of the tunnel was getting bigger as was the hope in Hiccup's heart. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a huge wooden gate appeared to block the tunnel ahead of him. At first Hiccup was terrified at being trapped, but then he remembered that this dragon seemed to be some kind of conjuror, a master of magic spells and illusions.

' _Plus what on Midgard could a dragon possibly want with a door, let alone possess the skills to build one?'_

With this in mind Hiccup didn't slow down, but barrelled ahead hoping that the door would be as intangible as the doppelganger that had greeted him a few minutes ago. Still, that didn't stop him from closing his eyes as he came within inches of the barrier running at full pelt. If the door was in fact real this was going to hurt….alot!

A high-pitched whine accompanied his passing straight through the illusion and Hiccup grinned at denying the dragon that was holding him and he kept on running toward the entrance of the cave. Two more doors, each more impenetrable looking than the last materialised ahead of him, but this didn't deter Hiccup and he literally ran through them as easily as he had the first one.

The cave entrance was now 'right there' and Hiccup breathed deep to inhale the sweet air of freedom and looked forward to the warm comforting sun on his face. Already he had planned to find the glade again or hopefully make enough noise to rouse a sleeping Nightfury to at least investigate his plight and then fall on its mercy to protect him from this new assailant. As Hiccup ran into the blinding light of the outside world, his hope felt like he had wings of his own.

However the pulsing heat of triumph and the freedom in his mind immediately crashed down around him as his senses were brutally drowned in reality. Firstly his feet, that were warm and dry in the cave felt as if they were on fire as they reacted to the deep snow they ploughed through.

"AH!...AH!...AH!...cold! cold! COLD!" he yelped as he clumsily danced about, reacting to the stabbing icy cold that raced up his legs.

Then the frigid cutting wind filled his lungs and Hiccup felt he had just been dropped in an ocean of ice. His eyes that were once wide with hope now narrowed not only to show his despair but also to keep away the snow that flurried all around him. Realising this was no illusion, Hiccup's heart sank as he tried to gaze through the thick clouds of snowfall that surrounded him, failing to gauge just how high he really was but figuring it must be very high indeed. He remembered the distant mountains he saw when Twilight showed him around the nest. He was indeed a long way from 'home' now.

Hiccup was so distraught and fighting to contain his now shivering body he did not hear the deep thuds of a large Nightfury crunching through the snow as it came up behind him.

" **By all means try Hiccup! Try to make it back down!"** the dragon warbled sarcastically over the howling wind **"if you don't fall off the edge of the mountain, you'll be slaughtered by one of the snow-wolves or bears that prowl this range. Or you could just stay out here and lose both your feet to frostbite within an hour before completely freezing to death!"**

Hiccup hated the raw truth the dragon uttered as he struggled to hold himself up, his arms wrapped tightly around his skinny body futilely trying to combat his now violent shivering. It seemed the island itself was conspiring with this particular Nightfury to keep him here, sapping his strength, his resolve, his hope. Turning to glare at the black dragon now standing out starkly against the pure white snowfall Hiccup took in his form a lot better now.

Old Lonesome was indeed twice as big as Toothless and looked mostly the same as his best friend; the sharp angled head, the bat-like wings hugging his sides and a long sinuous tail that swished gently in the breeze. However Hiccup began to notice a very prominent difference between Old Lonesome and the all the other Nightfuries he had met thus far. Where the others like Toothless and Twilight had very narrow sleek shoulders with a slim body shape, Old-Lonesome's shoulders seemed to extend a good deal further out from his body. It wasn't because he was bigger. Hiccup had noted Deathwing, for all his great size, retained the same streamlined Nightfury profile. This dragon had a much more pronounced chest plate and now Hiccup could see all of them, had legs that were a lot longer than the average Nightfury. Finally and most strangely Hiccup noticed that this dragon, like Deathwing himself had an identical straight scar running down the centre of his neck and chest. It intrigued him to no end, just as much as the smug grin on the dragon's face infuriated him.

"Take me back!" Hiccup uttered glaring at the Nightfury, despising himself for feeling so helpless and sounding so pathetic.

" **No."** was all Old Lonesome replied, not breaking eye contact as he gestured to the cave mouth.

They continued their staring contest for a few moments longer, neither wanting to back down. However it simply allowed the cold to work its insidious, debilitating ways on Hiccup's shivering form. In the end, Hiccup knew he was only human (a weak one at that) and he wouldn't survive much longer.

So with a shivered huff Hiccup stomped his way back into the cave, followed closely by his strangely shaped draconic warden. Though it wasn't a long distance back to the fire-stone, Hiccup's low, defeated spirits made it feel like he was walking for miles and to his own death no less. The Nightfury nudged and butted him along a few times making him feel that freedom seemed about as far away it could ever be and no-one could save him. Not even Toothless.

Coming back into the main area Hiccup secretly wanted nothing more than to sit back down by the fire-stone and relish the warmth. The humid air in the cave was already comforting him, but he was still wary of his captor and so stood with his back near to the wall, closely watching Old Lonesome prowl off to the side, taking another batch of eels off the ground and sucking them down with a loud contented slurp.

Hiccup heaved slightly at the sight and looked away, snatching glances at various items that lay around the edges of the cave. His clothes obviously were nearby but there were also what looked like war-chests, pieces of driftwood, a few damaged shields as well as piles of bones from creatures both large and small. It was a strange collection of things which served only to confuse Hiccup more.

' _What on Midgard was this dragon's deal?!'_

Despite hating his abductor, Hiccup was fascinated at this dragon that seemed to defy convention as he returned to watch it feed, wincing as slurping and smacking noises filled the cave. However his reaction did not go unnoticed by the razor-eyed Nightfury as another wave of green light shimmered over his scales from his head to his tail.

" **Do I disgust you so easily Viking?"**

"No!...uh I mean no." Hiccup stuttered at being caught out so, "….it's just I've never seen _a dragon_ enjoy eels before, it's kinda….well, it's…"

" **What?!...abhorrent?...Unnatural?... Wrong?"** the Nightfury crooned accusingly as he gazed at the boy.

"Well I was going to say _different!_ " Hiccup snarked back flicking his hands in various directions "But….well….I mean ... it seems every Nightfury on this Island has their own weird qualities, so I guess eating eels isn't anything special! You're just like all the rest of them really!"

Now Hiccup didn't intentionally mean to make the large dragon angry. He was cold, tired, annoyed and dealing with a Nightfury that seemed to be going out of its way infuriate him. The boy was simply stating an observation. However, the Nightfury's reaction to his statement killed any self-assurance Hiccup felt as it reared up and let out an ominous growl before striding over, using his larger frame to pin him against the wall.

" **Watch your tongue Viking! I am nothing like** _ **them!**_ **"** the Dragon snorted, dragging his front claws down the wall either side of him, **"The furies of the Isle of Night are nothing but vain, conceited, elitist creatures that think themselves so superior even amongst dragons! They make Deadly Nadders look positively modest! They care nothing for those who are** _ **truly different!"**_

"But..but….How can you say that?" Hiccup uttered as his startled brain tried to puzzle out what the reptile was getting at, "I mean, _you_ are a dragon, you _are_ a Nightfury!"

Old Lonesome chuckled darkly as he brought his face close to Hiccup, opening his jaws, revealing his sharp teeth again, **"Still thinking like a Viking I see! So ignorant, so unbearably naive!"**

"Then tell me!" Hiccup shouted in reply, putting all his strength into not showing his fear to the Nightfury's wide face "Tell me and stop torturing me! Or do I have to go and beg Deathwing for answers again?"

At this Old Lonesome looked quizzically as Hiccup's arms began to flail wildly as his voice pitched upward in frustration and contempt "All anyone says is _'ask Deathwing', 'ask the mighty Deathwing!' 'Only the great and powerful Deathwing can tell you!'_ Well I've had enough of all the Nightfuries hiding behind him!" Hiccup took a moment to control his ragged breathing, "Look, You won't let me leave! So, if you're going eat me or attack me or make me your plaything…..then just get it over with! But if you have something to say then just say it!"

At first Old Lonesome said nothing as he gazed at the glaring boy. However Hiccup noticed the Nightfury beginning to shiver. The shiver seemed to grow until the dragon seemed to be convulsing. Hiccup had seen other dragons do this before so he wasn't surprised when a hysterical bout of laughter ripped its way out of Old Lonesome's mouth. The dragon backed away and began rolling around the floor as he continued to laugh, leaving the Viking boy daring to smirk at his antics but still maintain a healthy distance.

" **Ha ha ha!...there it is!.."** Old Lonesome roared, mirthful tears spilling from his eyes as he continued to laugh and speak in snatched breaths, **"…..the spirit…I heard you possessed!...I thought I would never see it!...the non-Viking yet Viking child who has the sheer courage….and foolhardiness to shout down an unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself without an ounce of fear!...ha ha ha!...bravo boy….bravo!...and yet you are much more than that as well"**

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked as he eyed the dragon carefully, wiping his wet eyes against his armored fore paws.

" **Hiccup Haddock! The lost heir of one of our greatest foes, the strange human pet of Shadow, son of Deathwing!"** Old Lonesome declared jovially, almost in admiration, **"A human who in the presence of dragons is passive, peaceful, gullible, always wanting to see the good in us even if we want to maim or kill you. Despite all Vikings and dragons have done to you, you still have hope. A fool's hope yet hope nonetheless. A very un-Viking-like attitude. It makes me curious. Why do you trust us dragons so?"**

"Because you're not what we think you are….." Hiccup replied sincerely, hoping his personal revelations with Toothless might help with this Nightfury, "…I've felt more care come from Toothless than most of my tribe…right now he's….this place is all I have…so I have to trust him and all of you….even if you do want to hurt me."

Old Lonesome didn't respond to Hiccup's words, but continued to stare intently at him as if he was trying desperately to figure out some sort of riddle. Seeing the dragon hesitate, The boy continued, "…..And it makes me curious….", stepping tentatively away from his safe spot by the wall, "What makes you so different from the other Nightfuries? Why do you despise them so?"

" **Because I am not what you think I am! I am unlike any dragon you have ever encountered, even among the Nightfuries!"** the dragon crooned mischievously as he began to slink around the cave.

Hiccup watched entranced now as what looked like a second Nightfury appeared to peel away from Old Lonesome's body. It was an exact replica in all respects to its original. Once it fully took shape it began its own path climbing up the walls. Soon this copy was joined by another and another and another. In the space of a few seconds the cave held around half-a-dozen Nightfuries that looked exactly alike and due to the echoing nature of the cave, Hiccup could no longer tell which dragon was the real Nightfury and which ones were the copies. Their shapes prowled around menacingly, shimmering in and out of focus, yet never taking their eyes away from the fascinated yet fearful Hiccup who realised he had been speaking to yet again another illusion all this time. Probably since the moment he set foot back in the cave. He shuddered as the dragon's voice hissed at him again, **"I am similar, yet at the same time I am as different from them as you are!"**

"Is that why you live here all by yourself? Is that why they call you Old Lonesome?" Hiccup asked trying not to be intimidated by the beast's strange ability or hurt by his desire to constantly confuse and deceive him.

" **Partly yes…."** One of the Nightfuries replied as he weaved himself back around the fire pit, his scales clicking and sliding over the floor, **"…..but I must warn you!..."** A different version at the back of the cave grumbled **"…Old Lonesome' is not my true name!..."** Hiccup snapped his eyes up to a version of Old Lonesome that was attached to the wall above his head **"…..I don't like being called that!"**

"Sorry, but it's what the others call you." Hiccup muttered apologetically trying to aim his words at as many of the illusions as possible hoping he would address the correct dragon.

" **Hah! that's nice of them! Believe me I've been called far worse!"** One Nightfury scoffed as the assembly of large dragons ruffled their wings in annoyance and pawed at the ground as his words became heavy with bitterness, **"half-cast….unclean…..the tainted one…."** Three of the Nightfuries chorused angrily in unison **, "…..eel-eater ….. keeper of secrets ….. the dragon who walks like a man … abomination…."** another set of the illusions growled together dipping their heads in a familiar gesture the Viking boy recognized as self-loathing.

"...Freak?...Outcast?...Unwanted?" Hiccup interrupted with a knowing look making the dragon and his copies pause, sensing he was dealing with a creature that was harboring an upbringing that was painfully similar to his.

" **Yes, I guess you are no stranger to being called such things as well judging from what I have heard."** The closest Nightfury replied.

"And what have you heard?" Hiccup replied worriedly, "Have you been listening to Midnight bad-mouthing me?"

" **Oh no little Viking"** one of the many Nightfuries crooned as it came close again and staring into Hiccup's eyes, speaking in a low voice **"I have heard everything! My hearing is strong enough to pick up the slightest whisper on the far side of this island! I have heard Older Nightfuries praise your skill, I have heard young Nightfuries plot your torturous death! I have heard fathers quarrel with sons and mothers voice concern for their daughters!"** the dragon lowered his voice to low hiss as he brought his jaws to beside the boys ear _ **,**_ **"And in the quiet air of the night I have heard the desperate sobs of a frightened human child, lost in the world with only one friend to call his own. I say I know more about you than anyone else on this Island!"**

The large Nightfury drew back to see the fearful and startled green eyes of Hiccup look back at him as if he had been stabbed.

Hiccup was at a complete loss of how to handle things. First he had been kidnapped and now he was being toyed with by a Nightfury that seemed to hate his own kind as much as he seemed to dislike him and yet, wasn't doing anything to rectify either scenario. And now the dragon claimed to know all of the private thoughts Hiccup had voiced when he believed himself to be alone in his cave. Thoughts that spoke of heartache, betrayal, hope, fear and vengeance. Thoughts he had feared even to voice to Toothless. If this dragon spoke true, Hiccup knew all it had to do was fly down to Deathwing, repeat what he had heard and the boy would be banished instantly. He wanted to flee this place again regardless if it meant freezing to death. In that moment he wanted to be away from this bizarre Nightfury's presence and stop the tears that were currently leaking from his eyes.

Old Lonesome drew back a little further, his electric blue eyes wide at the reaction his words had elicited. Hiccup was still frozen solid in fear as the dragon brought it's claw up and tried to wipe away the tear running down his cheek. However the drop of liquid passed straight through the scaly appendage, revealing this was just another illusory version of Old Lonesome making Hiccup feel even worse.

The boy began to crumble seeing the Nightfury, was still toying with him, wouldn't even dignify his vulnerability with his true from. It was too much.

"If…if you know so much then…you should kill me now and…save everyone…the trouble of keeping me around!" Hiccup stuttered through ragged breathing.

" **You truly wish for that?!"** Old Lonesome asked in fascination.

"Sometimes…a lot of the time actually….I think it would be best if I was just…..gone" Hiccup replied dipping his had to hide his forlorn expression.

" **And yet, you are not gone!"** Old Lonesome declared, startling Hiccup to look up again, **"you are here! Despite all your whispered wishes for the peace of oblivion! You still rise in the morning, steal the souls of dragons on your parchment during the day and fly Shadow at night. Despite all the things that tell you to stop, you still persist. You still continue to stay, to live. Why?"**

"It's like you said dragon" Hiccup replied wearily, "I'm just a fool with hope. It's the story of my live I guess!"

" **Fascinating…"** Old Lonesome mused **"...I see why you vex so many of the Nightfuries on this Island. Truly** _ **you**_ **are the unique one and not I!"**

"Well there are about six of _you_ now and only one of _me_ , so I'd agree with you there!" Hiccup shot back, his trademark sarcasm sparking back to life.

At that all of the Nightfuries turned to look at each other with a sense of realisation and another bout of hissing laughter echoed through the cave before subsiding. They then looked back to Hiccup before melting into dark wisps of smoke and returning back to the original real dragon who had been standing by the firestone the entire time. The dragon stared at the boy with sympathy in his large blue eyes, possibly even a hint of sorrow before turning his head away.

" **I apologise for deceiving you with my other forms…."** The large dragon groaned out **"That was not kind….it is just….it has been so long since….I could speak with another person…I have not had the best time with them!"**

"that's….okay I guess?...Is that why you took me? Why you have all of this human stuff in your cave?" Hiccup asked appreciating the dragon's apparently genuine apology, yet still curious as to what on Midgard was motivating this Nightfury.

" **Partly boy, yes"** Old Lonesome crooned casting his eyes over all of the accumulated piles of debris Hiccup had seen before. Quickly the dragon snapped his head back to Hiccup, his tone now strangely cheerful and upbeat, **"How about I make it up to you?! What if I tell you my story? It may add a little** _ **illumination**_ **to your current predicament?** "

Hiccup winced slightly at the prospect of a Nightfury being willing to be open and honest with him. Besides Toothless and some of his siblings, very few had actually shared much information him.

' _Toothless!'_

The thought of his best friend jarred Hiccup back to a type of reality. He knew Toothless must have found out about his abduction by now and would be worried and that in turn made Hiccup worry. He had seen how violently protective his draconic friend could get. But neither could do much about it right now due to the distance that separated them. Hiccup summoned his resolve and stared Old Lonesome in the eyes he spoke.

"If I listen to your story will you take me back to Toothless?"

At first the large Nightfury said nothing but after a moment he smiled and dipped his head cooing out **"If that is your wish Viking then….yes I will. Now come forward and know me better man!** " The large Nightfury crooned sagely, **"But be warned, this story not for the faint of heart!"**

Hiccup slightly scoffed as he shuffled around the fire-stone to sit down opposite the large Nightfury. He figured whatever story this dragon had to tell it didn't even come close to the hardships he had experienced and was currently going through. If there was anything Hiccup seemed to excel at, it was having a life of hardship. As the large dragon got comfortable himself, crossing his fore-paws he breathed a stream of hot plasma into the fire-stone causing it to flare brightly. Hiccup watched in awe as the dragon narrowed his eyes in concentration making the extra light coalesce into shapes on the dark stone floor around them. The images were flat and seemed very basic, like Hiccup's earliest sketches he did when he was three years old.

The primitive shapes of bare-skinned tribal warriors clashed as they fought each other across the floor. Though no sound was made as the dragon spoke, Hiccup could imagine he heard the din of their battle in his head.

" **Once upon a time there was a land inhabited by mighty tribes that fought fiercely with one another!"** Old Lonesome declared grandly, his eye's flickering with eldritch energy, **"The warriors were without equal and lived for the thrill of battle. For only in battle could they hope to unravel the great mystery that was** _ **'the riddle of steel'**_ **. For it was believed that if you solved the riddle, the meaning of life and existence would be yours to treasure and guarantee you entrance into the great hall of heroes in the afterlife! All their lives these warriors would fight and kill, searching endlessly for the great answer in the hammering of their forges and in the deafening noise of battle!"**

"Sounds pretty barbaric!" Hiccup muttered disdainfully, being reminded of the war-like mentality of his fellow Berkians in their single-minded hatred of dragons. As he watched, he saw the men shaped shadows cut at each other, unleashing splashes of red light from their vanquished dark forms. The large Nightfury grumbled in annoyance making Hiccup dip his head in apology for interrupting, not realising the true reason the dragon was annoyed.

" **Knowing what I know now, I am inclined to agree!"** the dragon finally spoke again, his annoyance forcibly quashed, **"But bloodshed was not all those people lived for. They also upheld ancient traditions of old Gods, treating their friends and even their enemies with honour and respect. Aye they were hard times, in a hard land, filled with even harder people. But despite all the death, war and carnage there was also life, hope and love!"**

"Love?" Hiccup retorted dubiously.

" **You believe a tribe of warriors to be incapable of love?!"** The dragon asked wryly, his eyes narrowing, Daring the boy to hit back.

"I…" Hiccup faltered in his response. He knew it would be unfair on everyone he had ever met to say 'yes'. He knew that at some point everyone on Berk had displayed love for others. The love between friends, family members, lovers, and clans was always there, yet it still seemed an emotion shared only in private, hidden from the public and most especially his view. Despite his doubts Hiccup knew for certain Stoick had loved his mother enough that the chief, even 15 years after her death, still bore a broken heart and he must have loved Hiccup enough to not cast him into the sea, despite being born a fragile and weak runt baby. Yet all the intervening years seemed to be so devoid of care and affection, Hiccup felt that not only his father, but his whole tribe, with the exception of Gobber, were incapable of showing him any positive emotion. Stoick's constant disappointment in him and Astrid's brutal crushing of his heart still grinded within the boy. Hiccup felt that only the light of Toothless' fire had allowed him to feel the warmth of another soul that genuinely cared for him.

" **Well?"** the Nightfury's impatient croon drew Hiccup from his reverie

"I….guess everyone…..shows love in _their own way_ " Hiccup ground out in defeat, "So where does this story of yours take place then? The archipelago? The mainland?"

The large dragon let a deep sarcastic laugh roll out from his mouth at the question Hiccup posed.

" **Ah! Changing the subject to hide your own pain, clever boy, very clever!"** the Nightfury chortled.

"Just get on with it!" Hiccup moaned bowing his head knowing he had been caught out and even more wary now that his usual deflection method had been called out. Clearly this dragon knew humans very well for some reason.

" **As you wish boy. The land of which I speak lies thousands of miles from this archipelago to the south-east. Those that lived there called it 'Samaria!"**

At once mountains seemed to burst from the floor as a landmass Hiccup didn't even recognize came into formation. The landscape became more and more vivid and realistic looking as Old Lonesome sprayed more plasma onto the firestone and sculpted the resulting light with his mind. Quickly the mountains gave way to what looked like a settlement that reminded Hiccup of Berk in its layout of relatively simple yet sturdy wooden dwellings. As it came closer Hiccup finally saw people take shape and soon the light focused on a man sitting in a great hall on a throne made of dark stone, his importance obvious from his attire and the great-sword nestled in his lap.

" **The chieftain of the noblest of these tribes wore his crown upon a troubled brow. For the land was beset by a terrible evil. A dragon of the blackest night terrorised the tribe and its people. When not prowling the streets snatching up men, women and children, it was diving from the blackened night sky unleashing his unholy purple fire, decimating all whom he pleased. It was said that you would be better off digging your own grave than try and fight this lord of serpents!"**

"You….you…you…mean a Nightfury?" Hiccup asked, suddenly afraid as a jagged black shape swooped out of the shadows and the floor around them erupted with red and purple flames, many of the human shaped constructs howling their silent screams before dissolving into nothing. Hiccup gulped as he noticed the fake fires were framing Old Lonesome's face in a deadly light, the dragon's far off expression unsettling him as the Nightfury stared at the carnage with an unsettling keenness.

" **Indeeeeeed!"** the dragon crooned back at him in an almost pleasant way, as if this behaviour was acceptable, **"And a day came unlike any other, when the tribe no longer had any means to flee, their homeland becoming a prison where they were just little more than bewildered cattle to provide sustenance and amusement to their capricious flying overlord!"**

Hiccup made the slightest of shuffles away from the Nightfury who seemed to be taking far too much pleasure in telling of the slaughter of his fellow humans. The dragon carried on regardless either not noticing or caring for the boy's fear anymore.

" **In time the people of the land gave the Nightfury a name that befitted his station and the monster came to be called…Blight!"** Old Lonesome announced the disgust clear in his voice, **"An insulting name for such a mighty beast, yet fitting. He ruled the skies and watched over the earth, aware of everything that went on below before deciding on whether he would allow it or not. He did not even allow other dragons in his company, so he could have his dominion all to himself!"** The black shape that flew around the cave was seen to fight off or shatter illusions of other dragons. Hiccup recognized some as Monstrous Nightmares, Timberjacks, Deadly Nadders as well as species he did not recognize but looked just as powerful.

" **For weeks it went on with no end in sight!"** Old Lonesome continued ominously, as a new image of a young man appeared from the fires and wreckage. He was tall with dark brown eyes and long black hair. He wore little armour but judging from the strong build of his muscular, tattooed body, Hiccup figure he didn't need it. In the man's hands was the same huge blade the image of the older king had. **"The people were dying, so the late chief's only son took up his father's great-sword and stole into the mountains where the hated beast had taken up residence. He left behind his wife, child and his people. The foolish young man believed he could sneak up on the beast if he was alone and stealthy.** **The warrior found Blight in his cave seemingly alone, asleep and vulnerable".**

Hiccup's eyes widened as he saw the projection of the warrior now appearing to sneak up behind Old Lonesome himself, great sword raised over his head in readiness to strike. The desperation was clear in the man's face and it eerily reminded Hiccup of how he himself must have looked when he had stood over the fallen Toothless all those months ago. The boy leaned in almost as if to warn the Nightfury but was stopped by a knowing smirk from the dragon, who snatched a glance at the approaching illusion and dropped his voice to a low whisper. **"Uttering a prayer to his gods and his father's spirit…..the fool barbarian playing at dragon-slayer….nursing dreams of glory…..crept closer…..and closer…and closer…. Until finally….He plunged his blade into the dragon!..."** Old Lonesome declared dramatically.

Hiccup jumped as the illusory warrior followed through with the strike and the sword went into Old Lonesome's body while the dragon did not even flinch but continued to grin. **"But the Chief's son did not count on two things. Firstly, he did not know of the Nightfury having hearing so sharp, his approach had been heard well over a mile away** ", the dragon explained flicking his long armoured ear plates. **"And second, he did not know this Nightfury was what we dragons call….A light-weaver! A being with the magical ability to take light and shadow and craft it to whatever form we choose!"**

Hiccup gasped in awe at finally being told what this dragon's gift was, but his hand shot over his mouth to stop it becoming a gasp of fear for it seemed this Nightfury was describing himself in the story. If this dragon was indeed Blight, Then Hiccup feared by the story's end, he would also be killed by the man-hating beast before him. Old Lonesome's voice suddenly became energetic as one his copies burst from the shadows and lunged at the shocked warrior.

" **The warrior thought himself victorious! But it was a trick! A lie! An illusion crafted by the dragon to trap his young enemy! The Nightfury disappeared before his eyes and in that moment the real Blight struck! Had it not been for the man's warrior instincts and martial prowess he would have been surely killed. The warrior fled to the forests and the battle waxed furious!"**

Trees now sprouted all around Hiccup and Old Lonesome and the Viking boy practically lost sight of his draconic storyteller. He was about to reach out and inspect an illusory plant only for the warrior and Blight to come crashing through the fake undergrowth, growling and yelling, snapping and slashing. The barbarian, for all of his assumed disadvantages, seemed to unexpectedly be holding his own as the two combatants danced in a whirlwind of wings, claws, hands and blades amongst the tightly packed foliage. Hiccup could not help but notice the amazing craftsmanship of the great sword the warrior wielded as it glittered with an almost ethereal glow, tinting the combat in a strange light. **"Not only did the cramped space work against the dragon…"** Old Lonesome's voice rang out from somewhere, **"…it seemed there was something about the sword the warrior wielded. It was far stronger than any steel ever forged before and Blight, seeing his wounds grow as the conflict dragged on, began to hate and fear the weapon's sting ... And so began a week long battle with the Nightfury!"**

Suddenly the cave lit up brightly and Hiccup was dazzled by the sheer array of images that were projected all around him. Across the floors, along the walls, even over the ceiling, Hiccup watched a myriad of encounters between the man and the Nightfury. In several of the images Blight stood poised ready to disembowel the warrior only for the man to escape. In others he witnessed the Nightfury just barely avoid a killing blow or falling into a trap the Samarian had set for him. One image even displayed the dragon trying eagerly to fly away, but barbarian was clinging on to his back trying to bring him down with equal vigour. Hiccup mused that if both creatures had stopped fighting for a moment to see just how amazing it was to share the sky with someone, they might have had a chance to end their feud. However that notion was quickly quashed for Hiccup realised one important thing. The Nightfury he suspected was Blight was sitting only a few feet from him and the man was not. Hiccup despairingly feared he already knew what the outcome of this battle would be as the Nightfury continued his story.

" **Neither man, nor dragon relented in their quest for dominance!"** Old Lonesome (or Blight?) uttered wearily, sounding tired with the telling of the tale, **"The Nightfury for all of his malice and cruelty had never encountered such a creature filled with a determination that matched his own and was driven to near exhaustion. His pride and arrogance meant he would never just leave the land which he could easily do. Oh no! This Nightfury believed itself to be the pinnacle of creation and every single human was inferior to it!"**

At Old Lonesome's bitter words the images of various combats all faded and the cave darkened once more. All that was left was the rasping warrior, scarred and bloodied facing off against the equally battered and bruised Nightfury. **"Finally, after both fighters had run out of tricks and stratagems, traps and plots, they were reduced to a bloody single combat in the heart of the forest. The Nightfury out of fire, his light-weaving magic drained to nothing, was forced to fight tooth and claw while the warrior, still clutching his flawless ancestral blade swung in wide glittering arcs that tore the very air asunder with his hatred and desire for justice!"**

The movements of both the illusory combatants became sluggish as they swung clumsily at each other, the images themselves becoming slightly blurry. Hiccup, now able to see Old Lonesome again noticed that the real Nightfury's wide face looked strained and his large body was shaking slightly. He wondered in concern just how much this story was taking out of his abductor, while at the same time hoping if the dragon did bear him ill, he might not be as big of a threat in his weakened state. Yet the dragon kept talking, his eyes locked on the final encounter with wrapt fascination as the warrior gained the upper hand in the duel.

" **Neither combatant would last long!..."** Old Lonesome wheezed urgently **"….and with one final effort, summoning all of his rage and willpower, the warrior had the dragon on his back and sword poised over the Nightfury's heart! Victory was his to take! Before he made the final blow he looked the Nightfury in the eye and declared his victory, of being worthy of his fellow tribesmen and hoping the beast burned in the underworld for all eternity!..."** Old Lonesome was panting now as he spoke, tension heavy in his words **"…..But the barbarian saw something in the dragon's eyes. Something he had never seen before. Stunned the man saw what could only be described as fear, uncertainty and ultimately acceptance of death. In that moment he knew the dragon to be more than just a mindless, spiteful creature that had shrouded his world in flame. But Blight, seeing the Samarian's hesitation, began uttering strange sounds…"**

Hiccup's chest clenched knowing this was exactly the same as the scenario he had been in with Toothless. The boy knew he had once held a Nightfury's life in the palm of his hand and he knew how intoxicating that feeling of power had been in that fleeting, life-altering moment. Hiccup also knew it had been the best decision he had ever made to spare Toothless for it had granted him the greatest friend he had ever had and even now he would never regret that decision.

But this moment was not the same, Hiccup realised. This face-off between man and dragon could only end in death for Hiccup himself had seen just how over-charged with emotions their battle had been and that it had gone far past the point of no return considering his current circumstances and that it seemed the Nightfury of the story was not yet done.

Old Lonesome stared hard at the picture he had painted and had a mournful look in his eyes as he continued **"…the sounds grew louder and a circle of purple flame surrounded the two. The warrior, in his haste to prevent any further wrongdoing, finally plunged his great-sword into the dragon and sliced his entire neck and chest open, bathing him the Nightfury's blood. The warrior didn't stop cutting and the dragon didn't stop chanting until the Samarian found the beast's still beating heart. With an almighty cry to his gods, the warrior plunged and twisted his blade to tear the unholy organ that sustained the beast asunder! Both combatants unleashed roars to the heavens. Roars of victory!"**

Hiccup's brows furrowed at Old Lonesome's declaration of the apparent conclusion of his tale. The dragon immediately noticed and cast him a stern, wry look.

" **Confused?"** the Nightfury asked and Hiccup simply nodded in reply.

" **So was the warrior"** Old Lonesome chuckled, **"Why would the dragon exult in his own death? Was the beast so unhappy that he had been seeking his own destruction at the hands of worthy foe? The warrior didn't know and frankly he didn't care. The beast was finally dead and that was all that mattered…But sadly that was not the end…"**

Hiccup noticed that the illusory warrior tried to leave but for some reason he couldn't extricated himself from the Nightfury corpse. Old Lonesome growled as he described the sickening scene that unfolded before them.

" **The purple flames did not fade and the air filled with dark eldritch voices. Suddenly black tendrils of Nightfury scales seized the Samarian dragging him within the middle of the Blight's still warm and stinking corpse! The warrior fought with what little strength he had, but the battle had sapped all the might he had left!"**

Hiccup watched horrified and sickened as he watched the tendrils lash out and rip the great-sword form the man's grasp, casting it away. They then began to lash at the Samarian's skin, flaying it off in strips, revealing in morbid detail the muscle and sinews that lay underneath. The warrior writhed and looked like he was screaming pleas for his gods or people for rescue. Hiccup wanted to run over and separate the two images or halt the story but in his heart he knew there was nothing he could do. He was useless in the face of history and its draconic narrator. Slowly but surely the image of the warrior was dragged into the centre of the black scaled mass as still more black tendrils surrounded him.

" **The dark voices would not relent in their chanting and taunting!"** The real Nightfury uttered ominously. **"Blood, muscle and bone were painfully stretched and absorbed into the body of the Nightfury which began to close back around the Samarian's trapped form. The ribs of the dragon became a cage, the head a dark helmet, the arms and legs restraints that were literally stitched and entwined with his human body. Crippling, torturous pain overrode him and as the skin finally covered his face, the Samarian, the only son of his chief, the pride and hope of his tribe … let out his last cry as a human for it was soon replaced by the piercing harrowed roar of a Nightfury reborn!"**

Old Lonesome suddenly reared up and let out an ear-splitting roar that forced Hiccup to cover his ears as it reverberated around the cave. Once the sound had passed Hiccup saw the illusion of the Nightfury had ceased moving and was flickering erratically now, trying desperately to maintain its form.

" **For two days and two nights no sound dared break the air around the unholy place where dragon and man had both fallen!"** Old Lonesome uttered. **"But then on the third night, by the light of the full moon, the black mass moved and once again the Nightfury stood imbued with new life!"**

The image of the fallen dragon then stood and to Hiccup's shock it now looked exactly like Old Lonesome now with his blue eyes, wider legged stance and scar running straight down his chest.

"So…you're telling me….you…used your magic so….the Samarian would die and you would live?" Hiccup asked hesitantly, breaking the awkward silence.

Old Lonesome chuckled darkly at the words the boy spoke and leaned closer to him. **"In a way you correct little wanderer! The warrior did die that day … but more accurately he was …..** _ **reborn!"**_

Hiccup's eyes widened as he realised what the enigmatic Nightfury was driving at, "You mean….the you are…..?"

" **In his death throes, the Nightfury known as Blight cast a malicious and powerful curse on the human that finally laid him low!..."** Old Lonesome interrupted sternly, **"….a primal, evil form of magic spawned from the depths of the underworld. A final, mocking insult to rob his killer of any peace or happiness!"**

The Illusory version of Old Lonesome then walked over and merged with the real dragon. As the image finally dispersed the only light remaining was from the fire-stone which was now significantly diminished, only giving out enough light for Hiccup to barely make out the now heavily fatigued Nightfury's outline and his piercing blue eyes.

" **The warrior … his mind, body and soul was now forever merged into the form of a dragon, a true unholy offspring, born from the unholy offspring of Lightening and Death itself!"**

"Woah!" Hiccup whispered at the revelation at just how powerful a Nightfury's magic could extend. "So?...What happened next!?"

Old Lonesome stifled a weak chuckle as he forced himself to continue the story " **The warrior was horrified, heartbroken that he had been transformed into such a hideous thing. He lamented his wretched state believing that his gods had forsaken him and he cursed the dragons for bringing such a horrible thing to pass. Eventually, after becoming familiar with his new form he tried to return to his people and see if their shamans could do anything for him."**

"And then what?!" Hiccup asked eagerly but regretting it as he saw sadness mar the Nightfury's eyes

" **The humans would not listen!"** the dragon crooned sorrowfully, **"The Nightfury with a human's mind tried all he could to persuade them he was not their enemy, to show he was different from the vile creature that had once rained down fire and death! He scratched runes in the dirt outside his home, he fought off other tribes that sought to enslave his own. He even brought back his father's great-sword and placed it at his own son's feet!"**

Old Lonesome whimpered and a tear ran down his wide face splattering on the floor as he continued speaking. Hiccup's hatred of the creature had now melted away hearing of the dragon's abject rejection at the hands of his people for being different. Still the Nightfury kept speaking.

" **But…..but….it…was not to be. The wife of the warrior unsheathed her own sword and attacked her former lover trapped in the dragon's body breaking his newly formed dragon-heart! Everyone he had ever loved and cared about, everyone he had sacrificed for …. now rejected and hated him. The entire village finally drove him from the land. By sheer instinct he flew for days on end, lost and alone, looking for somewhere to rest and find peace or death, whichever came first".**

Even Hiccup was crying now for he too had made the same wretched journey with Toothless after his own crushing rejection at the hands of Berk and Astrid. He had felt just as lost and alone as that raw gambit of emotions tore at him from the inside-out. Hiccup wanted to comfort this dragon now but still he wasn't done talking as he gasped a few more breaths.

" **And then one day, the dragon-who-was-once-a-man heard a voice, a call. It was deep, strong and intoxicating, offering peace, comfort and shelter. Eagerly the warrior-beast followed the voice and eventually landed at the feet of Deathwing and the Nightfuries here on the Isle of Night. The king for the Nightfuries listened to his story and sadly not even his mighty magic could break the curse. In a rare act of mercy, he let the new dragon stay and become one of the flock!"**

"So it all worked out for you in the end?" Hiccup asked somewhat happy that this former human had seemingly found his place in the world.

" **Of course not!"** the dragon snapped back, startling the boy.

"Sorry…I…I...thought that…." Hiccup stuttered apologetically.

" **If things** _ **worked out**_ **, do you think I would be living in this cave, as far away from** _ **them**_ **as I could?!"** the dragon growled in interruption.

Hiccup mumbled a series of unintelligible sounds trying to figure out a respectable answer to the dragon's question but Old Lonesome didn't give him a chance to respond.

" **The Nightfuries here hate me!"** Old Lonesome bellowed bitterly **"Even after a century of living amongst them, they see me as an abomination, for though I am a dragon, I do not conform to their way of life! I am a human dragon hybrid! My body betrays me before I even speak. Something they all take extreme exception to, seeing humans have done nothing but kill and betray dragons throughout their history. I eat eels as my former tribesmen did so they recoil in disgust at my scent. My overly powered hearing means that I have heard many secrets I shouldn't have, so I am watched with suspicion and fear. I am constantly challenged to duels to exile me, I must fight to stay here despite being so isolated. I am seen as a deceiver as my gift allows me to craft illusions and tricks which I only do for entertainment or self-defence!"**

"So tricking me was your idea of entertainment then? … Or I am such a threat that you need to abduct me?" Hiccup spoke up sarcastically breaking the dragon from his rant.

Old Lonesome stared at Hiccup sternly as he loomed closer **"But the thing that scares the Nightfuries here the most?..."** he hissed **"…Though I can hear the Alpha's call and his command ….. I can choose to** _ **ignore**_ **it! ... So if I could if wished to go against Deathwing's orders and kill you …. I would free to do so …. And maybe even earn myself some powerful friends amongst those on the Isle of Night that wish you dead!"**

The fear of Old Lonesome came back with a vengeance at these words for Hiccup saw just what kind of position he was in, now that he knew why Old Lonesome hated both humans and dragons in equal measure. His expression was obviously noticed by the dragon who took a few deep breaths to curb his anger but not the intensity of his tone.

" **Let me tell you this human. The Nightfuries … like all creatures of the world …. crave balance and peace. When something comes along to unhinge that balance, they become wild, untamed and angry, ready to do whatever is necessary to restore that balance … even if it means turning on one-another! We two are alike in that no-one on this Island can control us and therefore we upset things and I fear for the consequences of what you being here will mean for me and the others!"**

"So that's why you kidnapped me?! To tell me I'll never be accepted here?" Hiccup groaned out, ruffling his hair as Old Lonesome's words sunk in.

" **I kidnapped you because I knew it was the only way to converse with you truthfully!"** Old Lonesome crooned sincerely, **"Despite knowing Shadow for many years, he always fears what will happen if I ever surrendered to the darker instincts that might allow Blight to return. If such a thing happened you would be first to die. Thus it would probably fall to Shadow and his siblings to bring me down. If that happens while you are here, at least you will know the truth about me, you will know it is not by choice that I end your life. But more than that, Shadow probably fears what I might tell you about him!"**

"Wait what?!" Hiccup spluttered in surprise "What else is there to know about Toothless?!"

" **I cannot and will not tell you!"** the dragon retorted imperiously **"it is not my place and thus one of the reasons why I am known as 'the keeper of secrets".**

Hiccup wanted to snap back but the dragon quickly stood, before slamming his forepaws into the ground, allowing him to rear up and stand on his hind legs. The Viking boy looked on in awe as the Dragon's large bulk now seemed to fill the cave even more so than before and he saw that unlike the other Nightfuries he could stand perfectly on his back legs … just like a human.

" **Behold he who is also called** **'** _ **Ong Drago Ylt Rur Lod!"**_ the Nightfury hissed **"The dragon who walks like a man! ... follow me child!"**

Hiccup felt compelled to obey the large Nightfury out of sheer bewilderment as Old Lonesome now made long strides towards the other tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. The revelation of Hiccup still not knowing things about Toothless unsettled him and he was more than frustrated at the topic being so quickly pushed aside by Old Lonesome. As the Nightfury passed, the fire-stone dimmed greatly and soon the only source of light was where the dragon walked, so Hiccup kept close to him, not wanting to be alone in the dark. The tunnel itself was only about fifty yards long by Hiccup's guess but it opened out into what he knew for certain was a much larger chamber though it was still shrouded in darkness.

" **To the dragons I am many things and yet I am** _ **nothing**_ **so I find solace in my own way. Another reason for me being all alone up here is that the other Nightfuries would not tolerate the presence of this….."**

With that the Nightfury blew a stream of plasma to the side and another ring of fire-stones lit up the large room. As the chamber came into focus, Hiccup could only gape, his jaw hanging in disbelief at what he had only heard about in the stories his grandfather had told him. Stunned, the Viking teen stared around at what was literally …. A dragon's hoard!

The Large room was literally littered with chests of gold cast haphazardly around the floor, their contents spilled out in large puddles of wealth. Piles of jewels and precious stones glittered and winked at Hiccup as they refracted the light of the fire-stones in their flawlessly cut shapes. All around sails of ships and piles of fabric that were ripped and torn, lay draped carelessly over more piles of broken barrels and crates that Hiccup theorized probably contained more valuable items. Everywhere weapons of all kinds; swords axes, spears, shields, pieces of armour poked out of the piles of riches, like dull tomb markers. Though Hiccup could see they were of fine quality, their craftsmanship had been somewhat dulled and rusted by years of disuse and being hidden away in the cave. Hiccup looked around and noticed that large stone statues, some whole, some broken were gathered together by a wall and he was shocked to see the entire front end of a Viking longship sitting askew at the back, complete with its ornate dragon-head carving staring angrily back at him. The entire cave was a treasure trove in every sense of the word and Hiccup was amazed by it. Doing the math in his head, Hiccup figured there was enough treasure here to buy all of Berk itself twice over at least!

" **Though I am a dragon, my human desire to accumulate wealth has never gone away"** Old Lonesome muttered as he stepped forward and carelessly scooped up a pile of coins in his large fore-claw, **"I have hunted these things from all corners of the world …. And yet I cannot make use of them."**

"Then why do you it?" Hiccup asked in wonder, still mesmerized by the collection he saw before him.

" **It reminds me of who I once was"** the dragon replied wistfully as the gold coins spilled out between his claw, clinking musically to the floor, **"it's hard to describe but it makes me feel … more human than dragon. To know there are beautiful things beyond sunrises and the grace of a dragon in flight. That mankind can craft such things of value and beauty, warm my heart …..** _ **my people**_ **made such things …..** _ **I**_ **made such things in my quest to answer the great riddle of steel … I understand you are quite the craftsman yourself Hiccup!"**

The Viking boy was snapped from his reverie by the Nightfury's last statement and he nervously waved his hands toward the myriad of riches before them, "Well … I … uh … may have made … one or two things … nothing like … this!"

" **You just gestured all of it"** Old Lonesome warbled humorously drawing a small chuckle from the Viking boy, **"Besides I already have proof of your skill. Have you seen the newest addition to** _ **my**_ **collection?!"**

Hiccup followed the direction that the dragon pointed his now empty claw. To his amazement his eyes fell upon something he thought he would never see again. Something he had almost forgotten even existed. Yet there it was, its edges still sharp and its wide blade dimly reflecting a distorted version of Hiccup's face as he approached it. There, in a small alcove freshly carved out of the rock wall was Astrid's axe!

Hiccup tentatively reached out letting his fingers ghost over the weapon and shivered, the memories of an entire lifetime, both good and wretched, stirred by the action. The boy took a deep breath to steady himself.

" **Come, there is one more thing I must show you!"** Old Lonesome crooned as he walked around a tall stack of crates toward the centre of the cave. Again Hiccup followed, albeit reluctantly, wishing to hold his prized creation once more as if it might steady his fraying sanity. Quickly he came around the side of the upright dragon and found what Old Lonesome wanted to show him. Protruding from a plinth of melted rock was the very same great sword that had appeared in the illusion the Nightfury had crafted during the telling of his story. Hiccup marveled at the quality of the blade which had not diminished in the slightest compared to all of the other pieces of rusting weaponry that were strewn about the cave. The boy came forward and with a nod from the dragon, placed his hand on the flat of the blade of the mighty-weapon which was easily taller than him.

Cold steel met warm flesh and Hiccup gasped as he inspected the sword closely. The blade of the sword was a dark blue, almost grey in colour, its sharpness still evident while angular carvings ran from its point to the tang. The hilt was made from what hiccup assumed was gold and took the form of two snakes turning to face each other on either side of the blade, while the handle was carved from a dark wood. All across the hilt and grip, reptilian scales had been painstakingly etched and tiny emeralds blinked from the snake's eyes to glint and wink at all who looked upon it.

"It's amazing!" the boy finally said.

" **This was my father's sword Hiccup"** Old Lonesome muttered sadly **"I carried it here from my homeland. My family are probably dead by now so this is all I have left to remember them."**

"What does _this_ mean?" Hiccup asked as he wiped away some dust to reveal a series of foreign runes that ran across the hilt.

" **It is the weapon's name."** the dragon responded **"This sword, the sword of my tribe and my line is called,** _ **Light's Bane**_ **!"**

"Wow! It's incredible!" the boy gushed as he ran his hand up and down the sword getting a feel for the texture of the cravings and the flawless perfection of the sword.

" **Indeed it is … And yet it is much like you Hiccup!"** Old Lonesome replied sagely.

"Like me?" Hiccup asked puzzled.

" **Yes boy!"** the Nightfury continued ominously **"You … the sword… you are both unique creations capable of great things, be they good or ill … and yet you are both out of place …. Somewhere you do not really belong and cannot be used to your full potential.**

Hiccup's brows furrowed more and a lump began to build in his throat as he guessed at what the dragon meant "What are you?…"

" **You want my advice Hiccup? Flee this place!"** Old Lonesome urged sadly **"Go back to your own kind and do not let the everlasting enmity of dragons haunt you for the rest of your days, few as they are! I do not say this to hurt you … truly I do not …. but rather spare you more pain and suffering. I have fought for my place in this cave and you will always be welcome … but it has taken me lifetimes … as a dragon … to win such a thing! Sadly you are still just a boy who may spend his whole life here and never find acceptance!"**

Hiccup winced as he felt the pain of yet another dragon advising him to leave the Isle of Night and Toothless behind. Though this was no mocking insult or threat from Nightfuries like Midnight or Blacklight, it was a lot more painful as Old Lonesome had once been human and was the one dragon that understood him the most. For him to be told that leaving was the best thing made him shake with uncertainty and all of the insecurities that haunted him came rushing back worse than before. At a loss he sank down his knees before the Nightfury that still towered over him.

"Then what will I do?! Please tell me dragon!" Hiccup begged forlornly "Where will I go? What. Will. I. Do?!"

" **I … do not know!"** the dragon replied, seemingly equally at a loss to the poor boy's predicament **"What I do know is that your destiny lies beyond this cave ... even beyond this Island. Though I am a dragon now, I pray that you find your fate away from these arrogant, judgemental Nightfuries!"**

Hiccup didn't have the energy to think anymore. The same questions were pounding on his mind making his head hurt, they were crushing his heart turning his blood to ice and fire in different moments. It seemed even here, as far away from the dragons and humans as he could get, still there was no peace for him. The Viking boy finally looked up and reached out his hand toward the Nightfury who finally returned to his four legged stance and came right up to him. At first Old Lonesome thought Hiccup was going to touch him on the snout as he had seen him do with Shadow many times, but Hiccup suddenly shuffled a little closer and his tiny palm came to rest on top of the thick scar that ran down the centre of his body. The dragon shivered at the contact with the symbol of his curse, power and shame, while Hiccup pondered on the heat emanating from the strangely textured ridge of scar tissue as it differed from the rest of the body.

"Who are you?" the boy finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

" **What?"** the Nightfury gasped in surprise.

"You said … you don't like any of the names … the others call you … even Old Lonesome … so please tell me. Who are you?"

The Nightfury adjusted his head and locked eyes with the boy as he gazed up him. The Viking child's face was wracked with so many emotions, but above them all, the dragon saw just how desperate Hiccup wanted to connect with another creature, even an abominable hybrid such as himself. The Nightfury found himself pulling Hiccup into a tight embrace to comfort him, feeling his humanity grow for the first time in many years, touched that this was the first creature that actually wished to know him by his real name. It was a surprisingly elating feeling and the dragon was happy to oblige.

" **My name Hiccup … the name given me at my birth … the name my father bestowed on me … is Dathomir!"**

"Dathomir?" Hiccup asked wearily shuddering at the power of the declaration. Even though it was just a name, it felt like a strangely intimate thing to share.

" **Yes boy. I am and always will be Dathomir of Samaria**!" the dragon cooed warmly with a quiet, undeniable confidence and pride, **"Now rest, you will need your strength if you are to see your Shadow again.**

Hiccup felt powerless to resist Dathomir's suggestion and curled up further in his claws. The Nightfury himself wrapped his wings and tail around them scattering more gold coins across the cave floor. Both beings were exhausted from their encounter now, their minds over-flowing with thoughts and feelings, both new and old stirred up to distraction.

Dathomir hummed slightly to lullaby Hiccup into a deeper sleep and the boy's breathing became slow and even, his face relaxing slightly. The Nightfury outcast looked at the boy with the same wonder and fascination as he would a new find of gold for his cave. The once human warrior from a world away asked himself, just what would possibly become of this truly unique Viking child and if the world would even be ready for when Hiccup's vast potential was unleashed upon it.

As Dathomir used his light-weaving gift to will all of the fire-stones out, darkness enveloped them and finally he rested his head on the floor. And in the silence of a lonely mountain cave, as Dathomir drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but think that Shadow / Toothless had indeed found a most valuable treasure.

Probably more valuable than all the treasures he possessed …. Or ever would!

* * *

 **And there you have it guys!**

 **Hopefully this chapter will mark the start of a better update schedule for me. however things are still tough right now and I will do my best to work this stuff out with everything else.**

 **Again thank-you so much to everyone who kept asking me about this and my other stories. you guys and your support mean so much to me and I hope I can continue to entertain you all.**

 **One shout-out to my friend Nights Anger - the work has already begun!**

 **Next chapter will be alot shorter and hopefully get us back on track as to what is going on outside the cave and even further afield in the archipelago.**

 **As always reviews, questions or comments are very much appreciated.**

 **Until next time then...**

 **Take care of yourselves...**

 **And each other!**

 **Razor95**


	31. Communication Breakdown

**Greetings all!**

 **What is this?! TWO CHAPTERS IN AS MANY WEEKS? What Eldar trickery is this?!**

 **Welcome to chapter 31 of The Return of the Nightfuries! It's been an amazing run so far with over 115K words, 180 reviews and so many favourites and follows. Truly it warms my heart to see so much support for this story which itself helped me get through some troubling times these past 6 months.**

 **The conversations we have and the feedback / ideas you give me are awesome and it's just so cool to chat with fellow hard-core fans. I love doing this stuff. It really keeps me going as do you guys. Hearing what you think makes me think harder and hopefully write better. So once again, big thanks for helping me get through things.**

 **On a side note, I've just discovered the awesome show that is** _ **'Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems'**_ **. It is a supremely amazing show and I advise you all to check it out.**

 **This chapter has a unique structure so keep in mind the 'bold writing' laced through it is all part of the same letter.**

 **As always any reviews, comments, P.M's or questions are greatly appreciated.**

 **And so…On with the story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _The Return of the Nightfuries_**

 _ **Chapter 31 – Communications Breakdown**_

 _ **(The School of Dragons – Part XIV)**_

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup learned about the Nightfury that abducted him,**_

 _ **The dragon now known as Dathomir, a cursed human/Nightfury hybrid shared his origins**_

 _ **but like many others urged Hiccup to leave the Isle of Night for his own safety,**_

 _ **leaving Hiccup lost and upset once more, pondering what he is going to do next.**_

 _ **But while all this has been going on, what's been happening beyond the Isle of Night back in the archipelago?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 ** _Berk, The Great Hall, several days ago, Midday_**

"Well, that's the last messengers away chief!" Gobber reported as he shuffled around to stand beside his friend at the council table which had become a flurry of activity more so than it had ever been.

"Good work Gobber!" Stoick proclaimed heartily as he handed more orders to Hoark before dismissing the fisherman while simultaneously pointing out an area at the back of the hall where a team of Vikings with mining tools where to begin digging, "With any luck everything should go as planned!"

Gobber nodded as he inspected the table that was strewn with maps, treaties and other parchments, being examined by several other council members as well as the chief. Normally such activity preceded a general meeting of all the tribes at The Great Thing or one of Stoick's planning sessions for another insane quest to find the dragon nest beyond Helheim's Gate.

But this time it felt like both of those events as well as Thawfest, Snoggletog, Arvendale's fire, the Harvest feast and every other public occasion were happening all at once and the energy for the preparations had such an over-powering, frenetic pace, it unnerved the blacksmith. Gobber knew that Vikings in general tended to charge in battle-axe first and brains second. It was simple and quick and easy.

So to see his fellow Berkians dive headlong into this plan but combined with a rarely seen sense of ruthless efficiency and cunning, especially concerning his young apprentice, Gobber was finding it difficult to handle.

"Er Stoick? Do you not think all this is going abit … I don't know … fast?" the blacksmith posited, earning himself more than a few sideways glances from the various council members.

"We don't have any choice Gobber …" Stoick replied barley looking up from the map he was studying with Spitelout, " … Hiccup could come back at literally any moment with that Nightfury of his and lay waste to all of Berk! We don't know how much time we have and we need all the help we can get now!"

"Yeah but …"

" **But nothing Gobber!"** the large Chief growled as he turned to face him fully, green eyes flashing, the barely supressed feelings of rage and betrayal still haunting his face, "Berk has stood for over 300 years and I will be damned if I let it fall apart while I am chief. Especially to a dragon loving traitor like Hiccup! We _will_ be ready, no matter the cost!"

Gobber stood stunned at Stoick's vehement response. Even the other council members were looking at them, tense in case things with Stoick became violent again. The chief had become a lot angrier when the subject of Hiccup came up, so it became sort of an unspoken rule amongst the tribe not to mention the boy or question the direction the Island was taking in Stoick's presence. Stoick looked like he was about to step right into Gobber's face to drive the point home, when a firm yet refined hand latched around Stoick's thickly muscled arm, visibly calming the irate man, checking his movements. From around the other side of the huge chief came the so-called _"Luckiest woman on Midgard"_ who placed herself between the two men forcing them apart her graceful but powerful presence as she looked evenly at Gobber, her voice calm and persuasive.

"Understand Gobber …" Phlegma the Fierce interjected, "… Hiccup is smart. He always was. You know this. We can't go out on the seas, aimlessly chasing after him ourselves! And if his threats to the Hofferson girl about destroying Berk turn out to be true, then where better to face him than on our own ground?" The infamous warrior-maiden turned her gaze to address the rest of the council and gesturing to a map of Berk, her newly bejewelled wedding ring glinting in the firelight, spoke again, "our priority must be to fortify the Island, A chief always _protects_ and _defends_ his own and that is what we must do if we are to stand any chance of survival!"

There was a round chorus of positive mumblings and nods of heads. Even Stoick rumbled in agreement sharing a wink and a small smile with his newly engaged wife for her assistance in diffusing an exchange that would probably have descended into fisticuffs. Seeing his line of argument soundly trounced, the Blacksmith dipped his head ever so slightly in deference.

"Aye…" Gobber reluctantly ground out "… You are right … as always lass!" Phlegma nodded in thanks and guided Stoick to inspect a different scroll that was covered in manifests of Berk's wood stocks. Though it wasn't the best thing for his reputation, to be out-manoeuvred by a woman, even one as respected and formidable as Phlegma the Fierce, Gobber breathed an inward sigh of relief that the warrior-maiden was now by the chief's side.

Yet the peg-legged Viking worried. Despite the good it seemed to be doing his friend, Gobber was still reeling from Stoick's declaration only three days after Hiccup's flight, that he would be taking the woman as his new and future Chieftess. Though most thought it an extremely prudent and logical move, Gobber found it a bitter pill to swallow that his best friend had forsaken the memory of his soul-mate so quickly. Knowing Valka himself, Gobber doubted the first love of Stoick the Vast would be best pleased with the road her husband was leading Berk down, planning for a hate fuelled war against his own son with an unknown time-table. A son that for the longest time Gobber had practically adopted and raised as his own.

' _yep!'_ Gobber thought _'Valka would not be pleased at all!'_

"Did you bring the Bork papers?!" Stoick grumbled without looking up, drawing the blonde blacksmith from his reverie.

"Wah?! … oh! … uh … Aye chief! Right here!" Gobber replied startled as he hefted the small but heavy chest up to rest in front of the council, "But it will take a while to go through it all! There's a lot of material that took Bork years to write!" the blacksmith whined despairingly, hoping to subtly dissuade the vengeful chief from plundering his ancestral treasure.

"I'll help …" a familiar male voice replied, drawing everyone's looks from the table.

As one, the council of Berk acknowledged Fishlegs Ingerman who was standing before them, trembling slightly under their combined gaze. Visibly unnerved by their sudden, undivided attention, Fishlegs shuffled further forward his voice quiet and cowed.

"I m – m –mean ….. I brought the Dragon manual back for you Gobber … and … and … if you need help with researching stuff … then I guess … I might be …."

The husky teen trailed off as Stoick regarded him, his green eyes narrowing in thought, noticing how the teen had Berk's book of dragons tucked under his arm. The chief knew that although not aggressive in the Viking sense, Fishleg's mind almost as razor sharp as Hiccup's and the two boys had spent time together as children. Add to that the boy knew the Dragon manual better than anyone. Already pieces were falling into place in Stoick's mercurial mind.

"Very well!" Stoick boomed, surprising both Gobber and Fishlegs with his decision and volume.

"Now just hold on Stoick!" Gobber protested indignantly, "I may only have two limbs left, but I can still read and no-one knows Bork's papers better than me!"

"I don't doubt that Gobber" Stoick groaned feeling a one-ice-block headache coming on, "but you need a new apprentice anyway and Fishlegs is a smart lad! Aren't you boy?!"

"Uh … yeah! … Sure thing chief!" Fishlegs squeaked back, fighting off his terror of Stoick to sound enthusiastic about what he just gotten himself into.

Gobber looked the boy up and down, appraising him, just like he did on the first day of dragon training all those months ago, muttering unintelligibly to himself. Suddenly with a slight huff the blacksmith wrenched his chest of documents off the table and on to his shoulder and began hobbling toward the door of the Great Hall.

"Let's go then Fishlegs!" the blacksmith mumbled as he walked past, the large teen falling into step beside him, "I hope you've got plenty of spare candles, cause were goin to be reading through the night! We'll sort through this stuff in the forge where it's abit quieter okay?!"

"Any news on the Hofferson girl?!" Phlegma called to the Blacksmith as he and his new assistant tried to make their way out. Gobber stopped and turned to answer but no words came. He seemed to be taking what happened to Astrid harder than most. Surprisingly, the boy beside him spoke up instead.

"She's still locked in her house." Fishlegs answered somberly, "Her parents can't let her out. They say when Astrid's not tearing her room apart and they have to tie her down to calm her, she huddle's in a corner muttering those four words over and over".

Again the council members just nodded, acknowledging the tragedy of Astrid Hofferson with typical Viking pragmatism and that there was nothing they could do to remedy it. If the shield-maiden regained her senses? Then there was another ally against Hiccup. But if she didn't? Well, so long as she was kept out of the way, it wasn't their problem.

With that the blacksmith and the Viking teen finally took their leave from the Great Hall and headed to the forge, both glad to be away from the den of planning and plotting for now. Inside, Stoick looked over the table and allowed himself a moment of respite. His plan was going to work. It had to work.

He would make sure of it.

The word was finally being sent out.

* * *

 ** _Meathead Island, present day_**

"My Chief!" the guard called urgently as he approached the throne of his lord "We just received this letter from Berk!"

Mogadon, master of mayhem, chief of the Meatheads looked up from his council meeting with great concern at the scroll the guard held toward him. In the heavy silence, he left his chair, took the letter and dismissed the guard along with the messenger bird perched on his shoulder that originally bore the message to them.

"Haven't heard from Stoick in quite a while" Mogadon mused aloud to his closest friends and advisors who nodded and hummed in agreement. His large, powerful hands delicately broke the seal and Mogadon unfurled the scroll, taking in its meaning.

After a few minutes of unbearable silence and a cascade of emotions flickering across Mogadon's face, His wife Erika spoke up, seeing none of the council seemed to have the spine to do so. "My chief! What news does Berk bring?"

Seemingly startled from his thoughts Mogadon gazed at the assembly anew. Fixing his features he held up the letter and muttered wryly "You are not going to believe this!" and began reading the letter aloud for his audience.

* * *

 _ **To the great and powerful chiefs of the tribes of barbaric archipelago.**_

 _ **Greetings from your ally, rival or enemy**_

 _ **Stoick 'the Vast' Haddock 'oh hear his name and tremble!' Chief of the Isle of Berk.**_

 ** _Visi-thug and Ugli-thug Island_**

"Well it's….urgh!….nice to know he…..grlllll!…. considers us one of the…..huh!….above! Eh brother?!" Vagrath hollered as he wrestled with his fellow chieftain and sibling Morgoth. It took them a while to read the rest of the message as both wanted to see what the letter said first. They had to take care in not shredding the precious parchment as they snatched it back and forth from each other, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of their assembled elders.

By the time they were done reading, all desire to fight was gone from them as Vagrath and Morgoth lay on the floor staring dumbfounded at each other, as if they had just heard that Ragnorok was upon them. Unsure of how to react they scrambled back to their thrones and had their council of elders read the letter over and over and over.

* * *

 _ **My friends (mostly), it is with great joy that we, the tribe of the Hairy Hooligans**_

 _ **cordially invite you to attend**_

 _ **the wedding of**_

' _ **Stoick the Vast'**_

 _ **to the most renowned noble Berkian maiden-warrior,**_

' _ **Phlegma the Fierce'**_

 ** _Outcast Island_**

"BLARRRGGHHHHHH!...What in….the name….of Thor?!" Alvin the treacherous could barely breathe, nearly choking on the Meade he just spat out. It took a few moments for the large warrior to compose himself, while his second in command Savage took the opportunity to wipe away the Meade Alvin had just spat all over him.

"Stoick?!...Taking a new wife?!...And he's inviting _me_ of all people?!" Alvin's cunning mind began racing at blinding speeds trying calculate all the different ways this action could be read. He had been Stoick's friend for most of his young life and he had witnessed first-hand just how devoted the vast Berkian had been to his beloved Valka. So to read Stoick had found a new Chieftess was not just shocking, it was inconceivable. And what's more Stoick had invited _him_? And nearly every other chief in the Archipelago? The last time the two had spoken, he was withdrawing from his most recent raid on Berk when Stoick warned if he ever saw Alvin on Berk again, he would be executed. Alvin's eyes narrowed as he refilled his tankard and leaned back in his throne.

"What kind of game is that Yak-faced muttonhead playing?" Alvin mused before turning back to Savage who trembled, barely holding on to the letter Alvin had ordered him to read. "Well Savage? Don't just stand there, you mute fool! What else does it say?!"

With a newly instilled fear of his master, Savage looked back to the letter and resumed reading.

* * *

 _ **The wedding will be taking place in but a few weeks' time when the full moon is at it's highest**_

 _ **and due to circumstances of great import we will be setting aside some minor formalities.**_

 _ **Though this may come with little warning, it is of the utmost importance that you attend.**_

 ** _Somewhere on the high seas_**

"Who were they?" the grim authoritative voice asked.

"Vikings sir ..." the subordinate intoned in response "... Berkians I think ... just two of them ... said they're names were Bucket and Mulch ..."

"I don't care what their names were sailor! Where were they headed?" the pirate lord demanded tersely as he balanced the blood stained letter in one hand and a handful of Nightfury scales in the other.

"All they would say was … they were bound for Frenetic Island … before the men took them and their boat to pieces" Gunther replied matter-of-factly as he stared at his eccentric captain behind the desk in his cabin "What do you think it means?"

"It means that there could be a tidy profit to be made here!" Eovard Blackbeard crooned as he smiled wickedly, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips soon after.

"Of course!" Gunther replied joining Blackbeard's joke "Think of all the ransoms we could get if we raided Berk and captured a whole Island full of tribal chiefs at a wedding when they least expect it! We'd make a bloody fortune!"

Gunther's laugh was immediately replaced by searing pain in his jaw as a golden goblet was flung into it at high speed, obviously thrown by his ruthless pirate commander.

"Idiot!" Eovard bellowed as Gunther scrambled back up to a standing yet dazed, wine-soaked posture. "You really think we could capture an Island full of chieftains when they will all have their most elite warriors with them?! An then we hold them all through the coming winter?! ... FOOL!"

Gunther gawked as he tried to answer the captain's question, but Blackbeard beat him to it as he stood up, rounded the table and got right in his face. "My crew may think me a moron to be out here chasing Nightfuries! But to even try and face down so many skilled opponents in one place is ten times more moronic!" The captain leaned in more, to the point Gunther could count how many gold teeth the pirate lord had as he resumed smiling wickedly. "Think Gunther!" Eovard hissed "If all the leaders and the best fighters of the Archipelago are on Berk … Then who is guarding their Islands in their stead?"

At once Gunther's eyes widened as he finally realised just exactly what his captain's plan was and he too began to share Blackbeard's sleazy grin.

"Get me a map of the Archipelago and inform the men that we're going to find ourselves a nice rich little undefended Island to winter in, with all the gold, Meade and women they shake their peg legs at!"

"Aye aye Captain!" Gunther chirped elatedly before turning on his heel and all but sprinting out the captain's cabin to spread the word amongst the fleet.

Alone again Eovard re-read the letter, massaging the resilient black dragon scales in his palm and looking over to his little shrine in the corner, full of Nightfury memorabilia he had acquired over the years. The pirate lord knew something was going on far beyond a simple wedding and it pained him not to be able to be there in person to learn what exactly. But Eovard was nothing if not patient. He would learn the secrets of Berk in due time. He had to. Because – he wasn't sure why – he knew somehow all of this was connected.

All it would take was time. Yes indeed!

* * *

 _ **For with these tidings of great joy also come revelations of great woe.**_

 _ **Dark days are upon us friends. Strange days that threaten to undo all that we are and all that we ever could be.**_

 _ **We already face many threats from Celts, Romans, Frisians and Icelandics,**_

 _ **not to mention the ever present dragon scourge that try to take our Gods given lands.**_

 _ **However, a new far more dangerous threat has emerged which has the power to wipe us all out.**_

 _ **As fellow Chiefs, it is your duty to protect those you hold most dear.**_

 ** _The Bog-Burglar tribe_**

"Ha! Typical man!" Teela scoffed loudly, "Stoick the Vast thinks to order us to attend his wedding by trying to scare us with threats of doom! Clearly he just wants us to not try and burgle anything!" Much laughter and tips of the tankard where sent at the illustrious warrior for her humorous remark.

Yet it was quickly silenced as Big-Boobied Bertha rose from her throne, her horrified gaze still glued to the parchment in her hands. The gathered female assembly became more concerned as tears began to fall from her face and stain the inked paper. Teela was by her side in an instant to offer her council or make amends for her words, lest she had offended the rightly feared Chieftess.

"My lady Bertha? What ails thee?" the raven haired warrior asked tentatively, placing a hand on the grand woman's shoulder.

It took a few moments before Bertha regained her composure and stood to her full imposing height, meeting every pair of eyes on the hall.

"The words….where he speaks of threats and dragons and duty…..they are exactly the same words used when my mother was summoned to the great gathering of chieftains…"

Every female in the room drew in a breath as they realised the true depth of their leader's words. For Bertha's mother, their former Chieftess had never returned from that gathering alive. She had been brutally slain by a dark foreign interloper. When the Bog-Burglars went to retrieve her remains, they found little more than a sickening collection of charred bones and melted armour. And all they had to go on was the words of the only survivor, Stoick the Vast of Berk, who was now using the very same words to summon their current leader.

It was a sobering, mortifying realisation and all desire for humour was instantly lost as they feared history repeating itself and Bertha being stolen from them as well. A fear every last one of them would die to prevent coming true.

"Teela." Bertha's words were even yet powerful, "Would you be so kind …. as to fetch my daughter?!"

Teela's beautiful face was marred in confusion at her Chieftess' words before her eyes widened in realisation. The look on Bertha's face was half an order and half a plea, neither of which Teela could deny. Instantly she nodded her head and turned to leave, snapping her fingers, signalling a dozen more women to rise and follow her out of the hall.

After reading the rest of the letter Big-Boobied Bertha crushed it in her hands, scowling hard as the rest of her tribe awaited her orders.

"That _man_ better have a damn good reason for addressing me in such a way or we will steal every last thing on Berk whether it is nailed down or not! We will steal the very roof under which Stoick the Vast sleeps if this turns out to be not worthy of our time."

She was met with a resolutely confident chorus of 'ayes'

"Ladies! Let's get ready for a wedding!"

And with that the hall burst into life.

* * *

 _ **Do not reply to say you might not attend. We expect that you will attend.**_

 _ **If you do not, you may be left to fend for yourselves against an enemy you will not see coming.**_

 ** _Peaceable Islands_**

Hysttame, Plear and Terang looked worriedly at each other as they considered what was essentially an order from one tribal chief to another, coupled with a very obvious threat. As they exchanged looks they knew that not all tribes would respond kindly to such an ultimatum.

"Taken the wrong way this invitation could be seen as a declaration of war!" Plear declared, her shrill voice laced with worry.

"I fear a war may have already begun" Terang mused sagely, resting his head on his steepled figures, "obviously something of great import has happened or is happening on Berk, and I'm not talking about a wedding!"

"And we can't let our tribe fall victim to yet another attack, especially after the last one!" Hysttame added.

The three rulers nodded in unison before Terang spoke "Very well then. Let us answer this message, ready the ships". And with that they stood and left their chamber without another word spoken. There was much to do.

* * *

 _ **We are not expecting you to bring much in the way of gifts for the proceedings**_

 _ **but we would entreat you to bring the following with you.**_

 _ **Yourself**_

 _ **Your heir or heirs**_

 _ **Your Tribe's wisest elder**_

 _ **Any information you have about dragons, written or otherwise.**_

 _ **And he, or she, who is most knowledgeable about dragons.**_

 ** _The Berserker Isles_**

The chieftain of the Berserkers looked up from the scroll warily. Of all the times for such a message to arrive, this had to be the worst. For yet again, the halls of the Berserkers' fortress were bathed in blood. The corpses of traitor and loyalist lay strewn everywhere, their life blood gently steaming in the early morning chill. But such lives were now meaningless as they could no longer fulfill their master's whims.

The chieftain adjusted so he was more comfortable in his throne. He'd spent so many years wanting it to be truly his and now it finally was and his Berserker heart beat wildly with elation at conquering his foes. But things had been spoilt by cowardly Berkian fools who had shot this arrow from their boat just off shore, as if they were afraid to see foo on the land.

The yells of vengeance and outrage drew the chieftain's attention to those few still refusing to accept defeat, despite the fact they were held down in heavy chains and with swords at their throats. He locked eyes with the former leader and with a sly grin he pointed his finger, relishing the look of hurt and betrayal on the man's face as he and his closest followers were dragged out of the room, their fates sealed.

Looking back to the scroll, the invigorated Berserker chieftain chuckled, stretching the tattoos on his face as he kept running over one particular phrase.

"Ha! _your heirs!"_

* * *

 _ **We cannot say why but it is vital you bring these things for only together will we be able to face this current threat.**_

 _ **Greetings, salutations and thanks**_

 _ **Chief Stoick the Vast of the Hairy Hooligan tribe**_

 _ **P.S. I must inform you that my former son and heir Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third**_

 _ **was recently found guilty of high treason, but fled before receiving Odin's justice.**_

 _ **If found, he is to be captured and brought back to Berk alive.**_

 _ **A great reward will be given for his return.**_

 _ **May Freya bless the upcoming union and may Odin, in his ever-seeing wisdom, guide us all.**_

If there was one thing that united the chieftains of every tribe in that moment it was their utter shock at reading what had become of Stoick's son. To hear Stoick was finally remarrying was mind blowing, but now to hear that his infamous _'little embarrassment'_ Hiccup of all people had tried to overthrow him and the almost casual way the letter had informed them was all kinds of insanity few could comprehend. All knew of how 15 years ago Stoick wouldn't stop joyously shoving his new-born in everyone's faces at the great tribal meeting shortly after his birth. And then all knew of the devastation Stoick felt at the loss of his beloved wife Valka a little over a year later. Most assumed Stoick would become extremely close and loving of the only living reminder he had of her.

Obviously that was not the case if their behaviour at future meetings were to be believed where father and son were polar opposites and seemed to grow more and more distant. True some families didn't get on, but now the last lines of the letter definitively confirmed it. Now all the chiefs of the archipelago were rapt with wondering as to what could possibly have happened to drive the notoriously weak and scrawny son of Stoick the Vast to commit treason and then flee into exile.

Bertha raged at the loss of a tribal heir and the damage it could do their treaties, Alvin once again spat out the contents of his tankard all over Savage, plotting how to exploit the weakened line of succession, while chief's like Mogadon and Magnus Hammerhand of the Bashem Oiks feared for the survival of Stoick's people during such upheaval and how they might be able to help their old friend.

And plenty of them dreamed as to how great their _'reward'_ would be for capturing Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

* * *

 **There you have it friends!**

 **About a dozen different plot threads just exploded all over the place! Ha! Fun times.**

 **This chapter has been on the side-lines for quite a while which is why I wanted to get it out there. I hope it gives you enough info to clue you in as to how things are going outside the Isle of Night but in an interesting way. I hope breaking up the letter wasn't too confusing. It was quite fun to write and then add in all the different perspectives.**

 **In terms of timeframe. This has all been going on while Hiccup has been on the Isle of Night but exact days don't really matter.**

 **Next time we are going to be back with the Nightfuries and watching the aftermath of Hiccup's encounter with Dathomir. If you think things are chaotic with the Vikings? Then the dragons are gonna be dialling it up to 11 baby!**

 **As always thank-you so much for taking the time to read this story. I think I have had my creativity reignited so hopefully a better release schedule will follow.**

 **Any P.M.'s reviews, question or comments are greatly appreciated**

 **Until next time …**

 **Take care of yourselves …**

 **And each other!**

 **Razor95**


	32. Bad Moon Rising PT 1

**Greetings all!**

 **Many thanks for all the awesome reviews and the very warm welcome back I got once I finally dropped chapters 30 and 31.**

 **It's great to know you guys are loving the story thus far. My big shout out this week goes to member** _ **'ssjzohan'**_ **. If what you said was true then I am truly humbled and doth my cap in respect. Thanks so much for getting through it all and still wanting to read more.**

 **A quick note about Dathomir. Not that it matters much but, for the past few chapters I think I've described him as having blue eyes, but when he originally appeared he had yellow eyes. My bad. Put it down to him just being able to change his eye colour at will, being a light-weaver and all. But From now on I will try to write him having yellow eyes as originally intended.**

 **Also a shout out** _ **'Shardsofdarkness2138'**_ **who's enthusiasm is so much fun to work with. Keep the ideas coming man!**

 **As always any questions, P.M's, reviews or comments are really welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 32 – Bad moon rising PT1**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part XV)**

 _ **Last time, while Hiccup was held captive by Dathomir,**_

 _ **word from Stoick was spread all across the archipelago about his upcoming wedding**_

 _ **and of Hiccup's exile, but not saying why.**_

 _ **0**_

 _ **While various chiefs reacted differently to the news,**_

 _ **all knew something was not right and**_

 _ **began preparations to converge on the Island of Berk.**_

 _ **0**_

 _ **But what's going on with our favourite dragon master?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _Scrape – scrape – scrape_

" **Ugh ….. Damn it all"**

 _Scrape – scrape – scrape_

" **Krom help me …. I don't want to wake him!"**

 _Scrape – scrape – scrape_

" **Argh! …. By the stars of ….urg! ….. get back in your place you infernal sword!"**

"What's going on?" the weary voice of Hiccup ground out as he groggily stared hard through the low light at the aggravated whispered cursing of Dathomir as he pawed ineffectually around _Light's Bane_ on the floor. Somehow the ancient great-sword was no longer on its plinth and the Nightfury's luminous yellow eyes stared back at the now woken boy with what looked like embarrassment at being caught fumbling around with the weapon like a clumsy hatchling.

" **Oh! I apologize for walking you Hiccup!"** Dathomir whispered as the boy got up and stumbled his way closer in the dark, knocking into piles of treasure that clinked and jingled as they jostled underfoot. **"Please, let me get you some light"** the dragon continued as he spat tiny pieces of plasma at some of the fire-stones on the wall allowing the treasure room to become dimly lit once more.

As his eyes adjusted to the small increase in light, Hiccup saw just how out of place _Light's Bane_ had become and it looked far less grand strewn on the floor as it was now.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked confused, figuring if the blade had fallen over, he would have surely been woken by the loud clanging impact rather than the dull scraping of if being dragged across the floor.

" **I …. Wished to hold my sword once again …"** Dathomir began sheepishly **"…. But the handle slipped from my mouth and the blade was going to crash on the floor so used my tail to lessen the blow."**

Hiccup looked to Dathomir's tail to see what looked like a thick burn mark down the side of it. Already new scales were forming on the appendage, a sign of the Nightfury's amazing healing abilities Toothless told him about long ago.

"Why don't you just use your hands? … uh! ….I mean claws?!" Hiccup stuttered embarrassed by asking such a stupid question.

Dathomir smirked and brought his large fore-paw to hover just over the blade that lay on the floor. **"Had I thumbs human …."** He crooned **"….. I would most gladly do so! However ….."** Dathomir's eyes narrowed as he let his paw come down and rest on the blade itself. As soon as his scaly, clawed foot touched the metal, a flash of ethereal blue light swept over the blade and when it passed under the point of contact, the smell of burning flesh, a puff of smoke and a dragon's hiss of pain erupted into the air. Hiccup jumped back as Dathomir recoiled holding his now injured foot up and close to his body. The Nightfury looked at the shocked boy's expression and continued to explain, **"… the blade of** _ **Light's Bane**_ **is particularly adept at hurting dragons. It has something to do with the metal. It is why I was able to hurt Blight when so many other warriors before me failed …. After so many years of being a dragon, it seems now even I am not immune to its effect!"**

"Wow!" Hiccup exclaimed that such a weapon could exist, despite the fact he was already impressed by the quality and craftsmanship of the sword. "What on earth is it made of that it can hurt dragons just by touching them?"

" **Something that does not come from the earth!"** Dathomir cooed in response **"My grandfather told me that one night; a huge piece of rock fell from the stars and crashed into our village. It was from this rock he mined the materials to craft this sword and gift to it my father the day he came of age. He called it 'Star-metal' and it protected my family for many years since its forging."**

"Are there any more of these 'Star-metal' swords out there?!" Hiccup asked, half out of concern that such anti-dragon weapons existed and half out of curiosity that one day he might get a chance to work with the metal himself.

" **None that I know of and it is a good thing too,"** Dathomir muttered morosely, **"I wouldn't want any other wielders of this kind of great-weapon to see it treated so poorly. And you certainly do not have the strength to lift it and place it back. Now it's going to just lie here in the dirt amongst the rest of my rusted and useless weapons!"**

"Not quite!" Hiccup chirped out dashing around some chests and into the shadows at the back of the cave.

" **What are you doing?"** The Nightfury asked confused as he saw the boy fumbling about and tugging on the shredded sail that was strewn over more treasures.

"You'll see!" the boy replied as he dragged the heavy fabric back to them, ignoring the bonking, clinking and clattering of goblets, treasures and statues that were overturned as they snagged on the cloth during its journey. Dropping the sail-cloth at the dragon's feet, Hiccup then dashed over to the alcove that held Astrid's axe and reached out to lift the weapon, but not before throwing the dragon a questioning look. Dathomir simply nodded back and with the Nightfury's permission granted, Hiccup took up one of his greatest creations once more and brought it back to the dragon. The weight and perfect balance of the axe felt like Hiccup was shaking hands with an old friend and the boy practically shook with excitement at the prospect of finally getting to use it for something that didn't involve killing things. Sitting with the axe held between his knees, Hiccup pulled the sail cloth toward him and got to work. Within a few short minutes he had used the ever sharp edge of the axe to cut the sail into smaller, but still quite sizeable pieces.

Dathomir watched with fascination and a small measure of pride at the speed and precision the boy worked. Truly he had not seen this kind of work since his last visit to spy on a human village. It reminded him of home and that even though they were small and soft creatures, humans had skills, talents and abilities that could turn even a black Nightfury positively green with envy.

"Give me your tail Dathomir," Hiccup finally spoke, his voice startling the dragon from his intense viewing. At first the Nightfury was dubious to the strange request. But in seeing the look of Hiccup's face that practically begged the dragon to trust him and the utmost confidence in what he was doing, Dathomir obliged and brought his long sinuous tail around to rest just in front of the industrious child.

Hiccup smiled in thanks before taking the tail in his hands and gently manipulating Dathomir's tail fins into a closed position before wrapping large bolts of the cut up cloth around it. This continued as Hiccup kept winding more and more cloth, working his way further up the Dragon's tail. At first Dathomir didn't know what Hiccup was doing, the Blight part of him even suspecting betrayal, especially since now his tailfins had been immobilized and Hiccup had his axe. Back when he fought dragons in Samaria, Dathomir recalled the old adage that he shared with Nightbreaker many years ago _'it was the wings and tails you went after! A downed dragon is a dead dragon!'_ However as the boy continued his work, the Nightfury suddenly came to the same epiphany Hiccup had and his Dragon-heart began to thump loudly in anticipation. With a large, awkward yet sturdy knot, Hiccup tied off the last piece of cloth and stood back to admire his handy work.

"Try it now!" Hiccup encouraged, nearly breathless with effort and excitement of the testing of his theory, as he gingerly levered part of the blade's tip off the ground, trying not to let the weapon slice his fingers.

Slowly Dathomir slipped his now fully encased tail under the bare blade of weapon and proceeded to wrap it along as much of _Light's Bane_ the sail-cloth coverings would allow. With a drawn breath the Nightfury tightened his grip and to both his surprise and joy he deftly lifted the blade clean off the ground.

" **It's …. It's working! Mother and Father Spirit, it's working!"** the dragon hummed excitedly, the once disgusting sting of the 'Star-Metal' dulled to nearly nothing by the simple addition of a thick layer of cloth.

Hiccup smiled with satisfaction that his theory had worked and felt his heart swell that a dragon had trusted him with only a little hesitation at one of his ideas, when back on Berk he would have been laughed and mocked out of the room before it was even tried.

Dathomir stepped toward the plinth and with Hiccup now guiding the handle, slid _Light's Bane_ back into its rightful resting place with a loud and satisfying _' **CLANK**!'_

" **Thank you Hiccup! By the stars of Draco I thank you!"** Dathomir chirped happily **"my father's sword can stay in its rightful place, now and always!"**

"heh heh … No problem …that's just me …. You know …. doing my thing!" Hiccup responded awkwardly scratching the back of his head, not used to such unreserved praise from such a mighty magical being, or anyone really for that matter.

" **Such humility"** Dathomir crooned sagely, smiling, " **A quality we dragons sometimes lack, but you seem to have in abundance along with your compassion and imagination!"**

"well I never saw the point in bragging …." Hiccup muttered as he shuffled back to Dathomir's tail, looking for a distraction from the dragon's attention "….Hey let's get that stuff off your tail ok?"

" **Very well",** Dathomir replied, his mind already trying to formulate ideas to help bolster the boy's confidence. No matter if Hiccup ended up staying on the Isle of Night or he was cast away, the young Viking would have to learn to display his worth better if he was to be taken seriously by anybody. And Dathomir had a few tricks up his sleeve to help Hiccup if the boy accepted his offer.

A companionable silence fell between the two as Hiccup started to pick apart the knots in the sail cloth. But he soon stopped as a new question came to the surface of his mind, something that was instantly noticed by the Nightfury.

"Dathomir?"

" **Yes?"**

"What …. What the stars of Draco?" he asked hesitantly, his fingers fidgeting with a particularly tough knot "I mean, I know they are stars in the sky but ….. every dragon I've met seems to swear by them and ….. I still don't know why."

" **Do you wish me to show you?"** the large dragon asked.

"No, just tell me ….I don't want to tire you out again … and …. I like hearing you talk."

" **Very well….."** Dathomir crooned as he took a breath and spoke softly" **Draco was a dragon, the _first_ dragon actually. From his magic all the different types of dragons came into being!..."**

"...And Nightfuries?!" Hiccup asked looking up.

" **Oh no boy!"** Dathomir chuckled darkly, **"Nightfuries come from a wholly different place altogether, but that is a long story for another time"**

– _**(A.N. To know this tale, please check out my other one-shot story "Unholy Offspring") -**_

"Oh, Okay"

" **Draco was unlike any creature before him …."** Dathomir continued sagely, **"…. and his myriad children shared his many attributes. His fiery bravery inspired the Monstrous Nightmare, his will to dominate created powerful Titans like the Bewilderbeast and the Red Death, his desire for beauty and perfection, the Deadly Nadder, his resolute steadfastness brought forth the Gronkles and Quakens! And Hideous Zipplebacks? Well I think Draco was simply exercising his twisted sense of humor the day he created them! Ha ha ha!"**

Both Nightfury and Viking shared a chuckle at their various memories of the exotic yet humorously chaotic twin headed dragon.

" **In the end Draco sent forth his diverse progeny to live in the burgeoning world which had yet to be tainted by the rise and domination of man. But yet, there was still a greater source of pain that preyed on the first dragon's heart!"**

"What was it?" Hiccup asked as he saw sadness creep into the Nightfury's face.

" **In time Draco realised that the souls and magic of the dragons had no-where to go when they died, they simply dissipated into nothingness. Draco knew eventually all the dragons would die out. Such is the fate of all species given enough time. To let his entire race disappear forever was unacceptable and so Draco began his master work!"**

At Dathomir's energetic words a small sphere of white light began sparking about the room. It was suddenly joined by dozens of others that swirled around the cave casting the boy and Dragon into an erratically pulsing ghostly hue. Hiccup looked at Dathomir in a mock scolding way while Dathomir stared back playfully letting the boy know he cared not for the boy's humorous attempt at being firm with him. As the orbs of light continued to dance and flow around the room Dathomir kept speaking.

" **Summoning every last morsel of his nearly limitless power Draco vaulted from the earth and began tearing holes in the very fabric of the cosmos itself! With his mighty claws and his pulsing core he tore into the firmament and reshaped it to his will. Doing so threw the very stars themselves into upheaval as the dragon bent the very fabric of creation to his designs!"**

"Wow!" Hiccup gasped as the balls of light all started to coalesce into the familiar shape of a Dragon with a long tail and great wings, the important points of the image highlighted by particularly bright stars.

" **In order to complete his masterwork, Draco surrendered his very mortal existence, his soul becoming what bound this new realm together. Its creation was signified by the appearance of a brand new constellation of stars in the sky. The humans have many myths and names for it, but to all dragons …. They are known as The Stars of Draco! It is the place where every dragon whoever was and whoever will be, shall finally find their eternal peace! "**

"So … it's like Vahalla …. but for dragons?" Hiccup questioned as he removed a few more pieces of the sail cloth from Dathomir's tail

" **I suppose so. To swear by the Stars of Draco is a very serious thing. It is an invocation that declares, when there is no guidance to found on the earth, when all hope is lost, one must look to the stars and their eternal power. Think of it as swearing to Krom or Odin or Thor"** Dathomir responded evenly.

"And will _you_ go there when _you_ die?" the Viking teen asked softly already unnerved by this talk of death.

" **Perhaps …. perhaps not!"** Dathomir replied his gaze now thoughtful and slightly saddened **"Hybrids like me aren't supposed to exist. The resting place of my soul is … difficult to determine. I could maybe ... enter the stars of Draco and live amongst the dragons of ages past due to my new magical nature … or …. I solved the riddle of steel many years ago so my old God Krom might let me enter the hall of my Samarian ancestors …. But then he stood by and did nothing when I was cast from my home for being a dragon, so I may just refuse to spite him and walk the land as a ghost never knowing peace!"**

Hiccup kept his face focused on his work as he didn't wish to let Dathomir see the pity he felt for the Nightfury's conflicted position and the building tension within himself.

" **Or nothing could happen!"** the Nightfury declared sadly as one-by-one the pinpricks of light that made up the star-dragon above them, flickered out leaving them in the near darkness once more., **"My soul could become nothing more than dust … scattered to the winds of creation …. With nothing of me to remain."**

The last of the sail-cloth fell out of Hiccup's hand as he came to a sickening realisation.

"There's no place for _human_ souls amongst the Stars of Draco …. is there?" the boy's voice shook

" **Not that I know of human."** Dathomir replied knowing the boys exact line of thought **"it seems you and Shadow seem destined to be separated, be it in this life or the next.**

"I guess so ….." Hiccup muttered in defeat " but maybe if …"

" **STOP!"** Dathomir declared, jumping to his feet, his eyes wide and ear plates twitching wildly and his head darting from side to side. Hiccup was startled by the intense expression Dathomir bore, as if he was searching for something like his life depended on it. Abruptly Dathomir's probing stopped and he stared toward the cave exit before turning to look hard at Hiccup, his visage grim.

"What is it?" the boy asked fearfully

" **We need to go! NOW!"**

With that the large dragon bounded out of the treasure chamber and Hiccup, once again bewildered and confused darted after him, following the light that surrounded the light-weaver Nightfury.

"Dathomir! What is it? What's going on?!" Hiccup called desperately as he chased along.

" **Your clothes! Put them on! We're leaving!"** Dathomir ordered once the boy caught up with him in the main cave as Hiccup quickly fumbled with his vest and boots.

"for the love of Thor will you please tell me what's going aaaaaahhhhhh!" Hiccup's words of protest shook away as his vest collar was yanked and he was unceremoniously tossed onto Dathomir's back. With barely a second to compose himself Hiccup grabbed on tightly to a pair of the Nightfury's dorsal fins as Dathomir turned and began galloping down his cave's exit tunnel. The trip was made in seconds and Hiccup was surprised to find that when they exited the tunnel, not only had the snowstorm passed, but it was also night-time with a generous half-moon illuminating the landscape before them.

Hiccup didn't have time to marvel at the dark beauty before him as far off, in the direction of the Nightfury nest, flashes of purple light blinked momentarily, followed a few seconds later by the dull thuds of super-hot plasma exploding. The only other thing that caught Hiccup's attention was Dathomir's still erratically flickering earflaps and the fact that he also seemed to be shivering as well.

"Oh my Thor!" Hiccup gasped before pleading to Dathomir, his own fear rising,"What can you hear? What is going on?!"

" **Hold on tight Hiccup!"** Dathomir ordered, turning to look at the boy now with a strange sense of pity **, "We are going to be flying fast and … prepare yourself …. for you may not like what you see or hear!"**

Again Hiccup had no time to respond as the great dragon stooped low and then vaulted into the air, the cold winds stinging Hiccup's face and chilling him to the bone, silencing any ability he had to ask any further questions. Dathomir quickly picked up speed, his vast wings big enough to possibly rival Deathwing's as they sliced through the sky toward the nest which continued to emit dangerous looking blasts of light. Hiccup braced himself, for the only thing that would inspire such a reaction from the dragon he was riding, was if Dathomir knew something that directly involved his best friend.

 _Toothless._

Hiccup prayed to Odin that whatever it was, he would be able to deal with it…

* * *

 **Hey guys**

 **I'm cutting the chapter short here because it's becoming too long and the next chapter is gonna be all colours of mayhem that is taking longer than planned to write. I don't want to rush it too much and leave out any important details as there are going to be some very important reveals coming up, so you will have tolerate this little cliffhanger for now.**

 **Either way I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the new piece of dragon lore I put in. This chapter goes out to anyone who loved old school movies like Conan and Dragonheart. If you want to learn of the origins of the Nightfuries do check out my one-shot** _ **'Unholy Offspring'**_ **and if you like it please leave a review.**

 **Once again many thanks for taking the time to read this and I again apologize profusely for not having more ready yet.**

 **As always, any reviews comments P.M.s or questions are greatly appreciated**

 **Till next time….**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	33. Bad Moon Rising PT 2

**Greetings all**

 **As promised, here is the next chapter for ROTNF**

 **Thank-you so much for bearing with me while I got it done. Things just weren't going right for me time-wise this week so I worked a bit of overtime to present you with this chapter. masses of thanks again to my good friend _'thearizona'_ for all the help with this.**

 **To** _ **'He who cuddles'**_ **, your wish is my command! Thus it is written and thus it is done!**

 **As always any questions, P.M's, reviews or comments are really welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 33 – Bad moon rising PT2**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part XVI)**

 _ **Last time, Hiccup was told some more dragon lore whilst helping Dathomir,**_

 _ **Only for the light-weaver to abruptly rush them both out of the cave and back to the nest**_

 _ **What's going on with our favourite dragon master?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **The Nightfury nest, around the same time.**_

 _SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!_

"… **.. Betrayed by my own kin! He shall pay dearly if my human is harmed! ..."**

 _SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!_

"… **Mother and Father Spirits watch over him please! …."**

 _SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!_

"… **. And spare me from these fools that seek to give me their hollow council! Be gone!..."**

To say it had been an unsettling day in the nest of the Nightfuries, would be a gross understatement.

Upon returning to his cave – very begrudgingly he'd might add – Toothless proceeded to pace, growl out his displeasure and carve deep frustrated scars in the rock walls. The prince of the Nightfuries even felt his smothered core flickering and spasming, causing him bouts of internal pain and sparks of will-power that disturbed and distressed all of the other dragons in the nearby caves. All of Toothless' neighbours were alarmed and angry that their much needed day-rest was being disturbed by the first-born's uncontrollable, scattered magical outbursts, but were powerless to do anything due the sheer force of will he exuded.

Add to this the physical threats he uttered to any dragon brave or foolish enough to confront him in person and it made for a very tense and disrupted nest. And it had been dragging on until now when the sun itself was finally sinking below the horizon and the waxing moon was starting to appear. But even with the onset of the cool reassuring night, It seemed no-one was immune to Toothless' ire.

" **Brother please, I beg you! I did not wish him any harm, I did not purposely let him slip from my sight! Old Lonesome will know not to hurt Hiccup!"** Twilight continued to plead, despite being dismissed numerable times already.

" **It. Is.** _ **IRRLEVEANT!**_ **"** Toothless roared back in disgust **"you swore to me a sacred oath that you would watch Hiccup and protect him!"** again Twilight cringed as she was faced down by her angry, older nest sibling, his voice now cold and imperious **"And now you have failed in both respects! You have dishonoured yourself, Hiccup and me! Be gone and break words with me no more!"**

The hurt on Twilight's stricken face in that moment would have moved even the hardest of hearts. Many parents had already accosted her, complaining about the distress she had caused their hatchlings when she herself had erupted in rage at their losing Hiccup to the clutches of 'Old Lonesome'. All that, though uncomfortable had been bearable as it was not the first time the young-ones had over-stepped their mark. But to see to the freezing cold, uncaring look in her elder brother's face now was too much so the silver eyed Nightfury cast out her wings and took flight, weeping bitterly as she did so.

" **That was uncalled for brother!"** Shade hissed in disdain as he mirrored Toothless' agitated pacing, " **It is obviously the human's fault for straying from friendly eyes! …. You have no right to speak to our nest-sister so!"**

" _ **Do you wish to test me Shade?!"**_ Toothless threatened, his claws scraping ominously on the cave floor, **"last time I looked, When a dragon broke an oath, they would endure greater pain than a few strong words!"** the Nightfury prince crooned as he began stalking toward Shade once more, **"Perhaps** _ **you**_ **conspired with the others in this plot to take my human from me? Was that it Shade? … distract me with a hunt until it was too late while my enemies take my** _ **best friend?!"**_ Shade's eyes now widened, taken aback at the accusation currently flung at him as Toothless kept coming forward, his words dripping with malice, **"….. and once he is gone, you will weep your hollow tears before urging me to abandon him?!"**

" **But I thought** _ **I**_ **was your best ….."** Shade's words died in his mouth as the baleful acidic green of Toothless' eyes silenced any further protest and the younger Nightfury found his stand-offish opinion toward Hiccup now darkly shifting, as he stood as tall and proud as he could in the face of his brother's ire, **"I did not wish the boy any harm!"** Shade declared as he narrowed his eyes in his own angry glare, **" …. but now that I see what he has done to you …. I hope he** _ **never**_ **returns! ... For he has taken my brother and left me with this twisted, paranoid, eel-eating shell of a Nightfury that I will not honour with my presence a moment longer!"**

With that Shade galloped off into the woods, leaving just Toothless and Nightbreaker who had been silently watching all of the exchanges his brother dragon had angrily barreled through since his return to the nest. The red-eyed Nightfury kept staring silently at Toothless who now with no-one else to confront, matched Nightbreaker in his staring match. Even with such distracting fear and rage boiling inside of him Toothless kept himself steady as he spoke. **"And what words would you offer me Nightbreaker? ….. Or will you turn on me as well?!"**

The heavily armoured Nightfury simply shrugged his wings, let out a frustrated sigh and breaking the stare, slowly padded away to his own cave. **"I only hope you come to your senses soon, brother … for all of our sakes!"** Nightbreaker crooned over his shoulder, his red eye glinting against the deepening darkness.

Now being completely alone in the silence of his cave, Toothless resumed his pacing and began cycling through all of the potential things he could do to get Hiccup back. What would he do, give or trade for the boy's life. And as he began to calm down a little more from his tirades, he also thought about how he would apologize to his siblings.

Truly he had acted deplorably. They were his nest siblings after-all and in the end all dragons knew, that it was family that mattered the most.

" **Urgh! …. I will think on that later!"** Toothless muttered to himself trying not to let himself get distracted from the task at hand.

" _ **NO NO NO! THINK ON IT NOW ….. MY NIGHTCHILD!'**_

The distinctive female voice, condescended, bursting into Toothless' head as fire burned into his vision.

" **No! Not you! Not now!"** Toothless groaned in pain as he slammed his head against the wall to try and rid himself of the insidious voice clawing at the corners of his consciousness, dragging him from the real world into a bizarre landscape within his own mind.

" _ **SEE HOW YOUR NEST SIBLINGS BETRAY YOU?!**_

 _ **HOW YOUR OWN KIND TAKE WHAT IS NOT THEIRS!"**_

" **Will you never be done torturing me?!"** Toothless growled, as in his vision, he found himself back in the volcano of the Queen's nest, surrounded by fire and sulphur, pinned down by a will-power he believed he had left far behind.

 _" **WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER IF YOU JUST KILLED WHOEVER OPPOSED YOU?**_

 _ **OR BETTER YET IF ALL OF YOU WERE UNDER MY GUIDANCE?**_

 _ **ALL WOULD BE ALLOWED THEIR HEART'S DESIRE.**_

 _ **AND ALL I ASK IS A LITTLE OBEDIENCE.**_

 _ **IS THAT TOO MUCH?"**_

" **How!? ... how are you still doing this?!"** Toothless growled desperately, pushing with all his might to stand and fight back, **"How can you still be here when I left you far away and I stand within the veil?!"**

 _" **OH SO THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE?!**_

 _ **A LITTLE ANCIENT MAGIC FROM THE DAWN OF TIME.**_

 _ **WHEREVER YOU GO, NO MATTER LONG, NO MATTER HOW FAR,**_

 _ **THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A LITTLE PIECE OF ME WITHIN YOU MY NIGHTCHILD.**_

 _ **MAKING SURE YOU REMEMBER JUST WHO YOU REALLY BELONG TO!"**_

 _ **AS LONG AS I LIVE WE WILL FOREVER BE CONNECTED!**_

 _ **AND WHEN YOU FEEL WEAK AND POWERLESS?...**_

 _… **.THEN I ALWAYS BE HERE, READY TO ACCEPT YOU BACK INTO YOUR TRUE FLOCK!"**_

In both his mind and in reality Toothless' legs buckled and he hit the ground hard and painfully, floored by the revelation that not only was this apparition more than a figment of his imagination, but he had also given away where he was.

It was heart breaking to accept! A fragment of the Red Death was still within him. It was no mere memory spawned by paranoia but a link that was now becoming more and more tangible by the day. Waves of fresh fear now washed over Toothless as he considered what he could possibly do combat this.

He could tell his father?

No that would surely end in disaster. Both he and Deathwing were insanely proud creatures. For them to admit that such a thing could happen would result in Toothless being banished and only fall sway under the Red Death again.

His siblings?

Again, no. Already they had shown how incapable they were of taking care of Hiccup or didn't want him around. Plus he doubted they would listen after him practically making enemies of them with his little 'outbursts'. They wouldn't understand his plight and would probably rat him out to Deathwing.

No! the only creature Toothless believed could help him was his thin little Viking. The one who had freed him in the first place, the one who, whenever he was around seemed to act as a shield against the Red Death's seductive siren call. Already focusing on the boy was making his vision of the bloated dragon queen fade.

' _ **Yes! Hiccup! Toothless needed Hiccup!'**_

With that thought now firmly in his mind, Toothless' eyes shot open and he stood, slamming his feet into the floor, pushing himself up with gusto and with the sole intent of tracking Hiccup down, marching straight out of his cave …

…..and right into Deathwing himself!

Immediately Toothless' heart began pumping at double speed at the irritated look on the Nightfury King's face and already he could see that this encounter was not going to end well.

" **I seem to be having some trouble with a dragon, my son."** Deathwing began evenly.

" **Oh yes?"** Toothless retorted trying to hide his sarcasm, knowing full well who his father was talking about.

" **Indeed!"** Deathwing responded testily, biting back as much ire from his tone as he could **"he disrupts the nest when it should be at peace, he attacks those who wish to help him, when he should listen to their council and …. He sends my daughter to me in tears, begging me to convince him to forgive her!"**

Deathwing's anger was now palpable, made worse by a large crowd of equally irritated and curious Nightfuries that had begun to congregate, eager to see their king resolve this issue with his wayward first-born.

" **So tell me** _ **Shadow,**_ **what should I do about this dragon that threatens our peace?"**

Toothless looked up at his expectant father.

" **You should let this dragon work out his issues without forcing your will onto his. You should show some understanding and compassion, when you force him to part from someone he cares about!..."**

Toothless would have continued his rant, had not a screeching, sorrowful Nightfury roar broken the evening air. All the dragons snapped their heads to the top of a rocky ledge that sat just below the ever rising moon. The sleek black dragon that was perched on it was visibly quivering with some sort of emotion, but with their eyes closed it was difficult to know.

" **And what about** _ **you**_ **parting from** _ **me**_ **?!"** the female voice rang out, **"Where was** _ **your**_ **understanding and compassion when you just abandoned the one you** _ **supposedly**_ **cared** _ **most**_ **for?!"**

The new Nightfury then opened her eyes and two pure white irises shone brightly out of the darkness. Eyes so brilliantly white, they rivalled even the light of the moon itself that was beaming down on this strange newcomer, haloing her in a somewhat ghostly aura.

Deathwing stepped back, allowing Toothless to get a good look at the new arrival, a wry smirk on his face as he believed this particular Nightfury might succeed where others had failed in connecting with his son. Toothless himself took a few tentative steps forward, his gaze now locked on the female as she gracefully made her way down the sheer rock walls, her claws barely making a sound as they dug in to support her weight. It only took a minute before they were standing a few feet from each other. Now that he could see her fully, Toothless marvelled at the dragoness' beauty. Her wings and scales were perfect, practically glistening in the moonlight and her body was powerful and supple, obviously hiding many secrets beneath her cool, calm exterior. But it was her eyes and her scent that Toothless was drawn to the most.

Toothless gave a few cursory sniffs and her aroma stirred something within him. She smelled wholly of the forest, of wild flowers and trees, as if she had been born out of the very earth itself. It was a truly unique and intoxicating scent, one the dragoness smiled at when she saw the reaction Toothless was having to it. Toothless had vague flashes of running through the trees chasing an uncatchable phantom, the sound of joyful laughter echoing off the Dark-pines and a beckoning attraction that made the male in him pat his tail gently on the ground and growl quietly with unashamed desire.

And then Toothless stared deep into the pale white orbs that were her eyes, his bright green eyes searching for something, anything that would give him a clue as to who this strangely familiar dragon was and why he was so drawn to her. With his 'true-sight' he plunged as deeply as he dared trying to read this dragoness' intent and he saw waves of connections between them. But something was blocking him from revealing the full truth. There was so much swarming in those eyes, a cacophony of warring thoughts and feelings. There was definitely affection but of what kind Toothless could not tell as it was swirling with feelings of desperation, curiosity, defiance, sadness and betrayal.

Toothless pulled back from his gaze and then took two more steps back, much to the confusion of the female and the other dragons around them. Toothless noticed this. It seemed all of the Nightfuries were expecting some kind of bigger response from him. But no matter how hard he thought, no matter how hard he fought to remember, his mind would just not let him. And somewhere in the back of his brain, Toothless swore he could hear, the crazed maniacal creature that was the bitch-queen herself, laughing at him.

The dragoness before him took a step forward, her eyes wide and curious, her tone now worried, **"Shadow? ….. are you alright? ….. what is wrong my love?"**

At those words, Toothless' jaw dropped and his heart clenched. The dragoness was calling him 'love' as if he should know what it meant and that he shared those feelings. He knew there was something stopping him from claiming a mate, especially during his interactions with the overly amorous Raven. And now it seemed that the answer was living, breathing and standing right in front of him, beckoning him to acknowledge her. It was all getting too much and in the unbearable silence Toothless didn't have any other choice but speak the truth.

" **I am sorry ….."** Toothless uttered quietly **"….. but I ….. do not ….. know you …."**

The horrified, collective gasp that rippled through the entire congregation of dragons made Toothless visibly cringe. He glanced around and saw looks of disbelief, hurt and even disgust at his response to this female.

Snapping his gaze back to the dragoness before him, Toothless saw that the curiosity and worry in her pale eyes was gone and were being replaced with hurt and rage. The Nightfury prince was about to take a step forward, to try and explain to this familiar dragoness his situation, to learn who exactly she was, but the pain and blood that burst across his chest made him spring back, screeching in pain.

" **Traitor!"** the female hissed as she advanced, her speed blinding as she appeared behind Toothless and raked her claws across his back, above the base of his tail making him jump again, forcing the other Nightfuries to jump out of the way, snapping and barking as they did so. Toothless was so shocked by the ferocity and precision of the strikes and still not knowing who this strange female was, he felt couldn't fight back yet, so continued to dodge and evade as best in he could. Still that did not stop the white-eyed Nightfury from her relentless onslaught, roaring as she did so.

" **After all you said to me!"** Toothless' opponent snarled as she scratched his hind leg **, "After all you swore! …. YOU FORGET ME?! … You said we would be bound FOREVER! ... that our love would out-last even THE STARS THEMSELVES! THAT YOU WOULD RETURN TO ME AND ME ALONE!"**

" **I … I….I'm sorry!"** Toothless yelped as he sluggishly recoiled from another strike to his face. Truly this dragoness was highly skilled in wearing him down. All of her strikes had been shallow but were in all of his weakly protected spots and her claws were so sharp, they seemed to rend the very air it-self. The smell of blood was filling the air and it was making every Nightfury agitated enough that they too wished to join in this conflict. Supporters and enemies of Toothless began jostling and shoving each other, voicing their views like the baying crowd at a human brawl, unconcerned for the presence of Deathwing who was watching with a heart-broken expression on his face.

" **Please stop! ….you must listen!"** Toothless begged as he ducked below a right claw swipe

" **YOU ABANDONED ME!"** the female roared as she brought down a savage tail-whip forcing Toothless to dodge left

" **Let me …. Wait!"** Time slowed as Toothless began charging his plasma blast in a desperate attempt to subdue his attacker, when suddenly, he had a strong feeling of Deja-vu wash over him.

He had dodged that last tail-whip not merely out of reflex alone but by …. _habit_. He realized he had sparred with this dragoness before, been subjected to these same attacks ….. and _bested_ them. It made dodging the female's left claw swipe all the easier and left him fully prepared for the follow up pounce he knew was coming. Nightbreaker had always said _'you didn't truly know someone until you fought them'_ and this mantra seemed to be baring fruit as the barrier that stood in his mind began to crack and fracture under the strain of his exertions to best his opponent and also unlock his memory of her.

On all levels he was fighting and he momentarily froze as he watched the dragoness coming at him through the air, her thin yet preternaturally sharp claws fully extended, her wings flared, her sharp teeth bared and a vengeful gaze marring her beautifully entrancing white eyes.

In that split second Toothless felt the barrier in his mind crack further and a name began to seep through. A name that he believed he had carved so deeply in his heart, it would never fade and nothing would be able to replace it. How misguided he had been.

Toothless acknowledged he had done this dragoness a great wrong and with his making peace with that, he felt her name finally spring to life within him. In that instant he lit the plasma blast that had been building in his throat and aimed it at the ground between him and the deadly female Nightfury that was aiming for his face. The resulting explosion threw up a cloud of dust and debris that distracted the female enough for Toothless to duck underneath and strike her exposed underbelly in mid-air. The female seemed to crumble and Toothless used their combined momentum to lunge upward and flip the dragoness over, so that when she crashed to the ground on her back with a resounding _**'snap!'**_ , he was on top of her, using all of his considerable weight and strength to keep her pinned.

The dragoness, though stunned with shock and the searing pain of her wing joint being dislocated, continued to thrash and struggle as Toothless opened his mouth and roared right into her face. At once the dragoness stilled her eyes still wide in exasperated rage as she looked at the victorious Toothless as he leaned in closer now, his body heaving with effort, his voice hoarse, and his breathing ragged, just like hers.

" **I …. I ….. I remember ….. Who you are …..** _ **Moonchaser!"**_ the Nightfury prince growled quietly.

At hearing Toothless finally speak her name, Moonchaser gasped and she brought her face closer to his. Toothless reciprocated and before the still jostling and chaotic crowd of Nightfuries, the two dragons brought their foreheads together in a gesture that could only exist between dragons that had a particular bond.

" **Does that mean ….. you have finally come back to me?"** Moonchaser asked, her voice loaded with anticipation.

" **Yes …. I have come back …..for you …..** _ **MY MATE!"**_ Toothless answered as he felt the barrier the Red Death had built around his memories regarding Moonchaser finally shatter and flood back into him. He swore he could hear the once arrogant laugher devolve into disgruntled shrieks and ancient cursing as the bloated eel realised she had been defeated, at least on this small matter. What would be done about the rest of the Red Death's influence on him would be dealt with in time, but right now he was revelling in the warmth of the lifetime of memories he had of being with the lithe dragoness still pinned beneath him.

Toothless recalled the innocent games they played together as hatchlings, their first awkward attempts at hunting, their amazing discoveries of their powers of flight and even witnessing the emergence of each other's magical abilities. The male dragon smiled as he revelled in their new-found connection and the realization this had been one of the main forces that sub-consciously drove him to return to the Isle of Night. He remembered now the years they had spent becoming closer, becoming aware of their feelings and attractions to each other, of private stolen moments away from the watchful eyes of their sires and dams. Toothless recalled declarations of love and interactions that would make even a Nightfury blush red. Finally here was one of the missing pieces of his heart, his soul, revealed in brilliant clarity and something new to rediscover and eventually share with Hiccup, once he returned.

Toothless was broken from his blissful reverie by Moonchaser as she winced and let out a low pained groan. The weight of the first-born on top of her was now putting severe pressure on her injury and the female, though pleased at the outcome of their little 'lovers-spat' wriggled slightly to get Toothless to move. As if he had been shocked by a Skrill, Toothless immediately obliged and in an instant was at her flank, gently guiding her to her feet.

Now standing side-by-side the two Nightfuries took each other in again, both noticing the obvious changes in their appearance since last they interacted. Moonchaser inwardly smiled at how obviously strong Toothless had become while the male was never done being impressed by how his mate had grown and developed in the decades he had been gone. It made him feel wretched as he recalled that they had not parted on good terms and he feared where they now stood in regards to their status in the eyes of the flock and each other.

Toothless was about to voice his concern but another dragon roar pierced the night and his question of his and Moonchaser's relationship seemed to be answered by one particular Nightfury.

" _ **NOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_ Raven screamed as she burst from out of the crowd, stampeding towards the reunited pair, her eyes afire with rage. Toothless, believing she was going to attack him, (obviously for this public rejection of her persistent affections) jumped away from Moonchaser to draw Raven's ire. But he looked on horrified, as Raven simply barrelled past him and shot a plasma blast at the injured Moonchaser exploding in a dazzling inferno and throwing the white-eyed Nightfury fury off her feet and against a rock wall. Moonchaser barely had a moment to recover and only narrowly dodged a frantic set of claw swipes that tore great gashes in the rock wall as she ducked around the irately jealous female.

" **Raven STOP!"** Moonchaser called, as she ducked and dived away as more plasma blasts came at her, exploding more debris and rocks that scratched her smoothly scaled hide.

" **NO! Not this time! SHADOW IS MINE!"** Raven screeched in response, readying another blast, **"YOU! …. You had your chance! …..and guess what?! HE LEFT YOU!"** Taking advantage of Moonchaser's bitterly hurt expression at her words, Raven fired again then came in close and quickly the two females were grappling on the floor, rolling over each other several times, fighting to gain the upper hand as Raven continued her vicious ranting **. "He left you behind without a care ….. and only** _ **now**_ **do you come for him? …. when you should have been the first to welcome him home! …. YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF THE FIRST-BORN, YOU STUCK-UP EEL-SPAWN!"**

Had she not been injured, Moonchaser would have taken to the air and used her superior flight capabilities to show this impudent love rival just exactly how 'worthy' she was. However she was grounded, not just by her fight with Toothless but also by Raven's venomous words. Moonchaser indeed had many things to talk with Shadow about and Raven had struck several raw nerves which hurt just much as her handicapped wing that hung limply by her side.

Any male of any species would probably love to have two females fighting over him. But Toothless, on hearing the once composed and graceful Raven, resorting to such brutal tactics, crude insults and hurtful words, snapped him from his shock into action. His goal? To separate the two warring females. He dashed toward them, barging past the Nightfuries that were in his path as they vied for a better viewing position of the intensely entertaining dragon 'cat-fight'. He was nearly free of the crowd when he was lifted from his feet by a heavy driving force to his side and ploughed into a large boulder, his ribs now aching in pain. Scrambling to get his bearings Toothless took in the furious purple eyes, smug grin and combat ready stance of Blacklight as he stood, smoke pouring from his nostrils and plasma building in his throat.

" **Moonchaser is mine First-born!"** Blacklight growled savagely, **"Keep your paws off her!"**

" **She was** _ **never**_ **yours Blacklight! I love her!"** Toothless retorted as he lunged forward and wrenched his attacker's head to the side forcing his plasma blast to launch across the crowd and impact off another rock wall, casting debris and other Nightfuries in all directions as the crowd now became a frenzy of aggression and instinct. Fights were now breaking out all over the place with some Nightfuries warring with their neighbours, while others scrambled to get clear only to be trampled on or simply dragged into a fight they did not want to be a part of, having no choice but to defend themselves.

" **Nay First-born! As the females said …. You didn't love her!** _**YOU. LEFT. HER!"**_ Blacklight raged as he rained down blow after blow, deliberately targeting the wounds Moonchaser had originally made, **"You surrendered your rights to her …** _ **'THWACK!'**_ **….. and I have been lawfully courting her for years! ….** _ **'CRUNCH!'**_ **…. You think I will just give up that right simply because you decide to finally come back? ….** _ **'SHNICKT!'**_ **…. I THINK NOT!"**

Toothless snarled at the prospect of his conniving cousin trying to worm his way between Moonchaser and himself during his absence. He imagined all sorts of tricks Blacklight would play to earn the favour of the most eligible dragoness on the Isle of Night, especially after what happened to his original mate and hatchlings. And though he had just relived a lifetime of memories to convince him of the contrary, Toothless feared that Moonchaser might have fallen for the larger dragon's insidious charms. Toothless roared back his righteous indignation at such a horrible image and spying his mate across the chaotic crowd having trouble fending off the aggression of Raven, fired a plasma bolt at Blacklight to end his own confrontation quickly. However Blacklight was still fresh in this fight and he dodged the fireball with ease letting it impact on a fellow Nightfury who in his rage abandoned his current battle, turned and blindly charged straight at Toothless to answer the perceived slight. Toothless jumped out of Zodiac's way only to jump into a tail-whip from Blacklight that threw him backwards into more of his fellow Nightfuries.

" **I will not be denied! You, your mate and your** _ **precious human**_ **will be mine!"** Blacklight hissed sadistically as he ran forward, quickly joined by his supporters Raiden and Skydive. Toothless scrambled up again and charged, prepared to fight all three, to the death if necessary to protect Moonchaser and Hiccup now that Blacklight had brought him into play. He would end them all here and now if he had to. His feet pounded off the rocky ground but quickly they gained extra weight and Toothless snapped a glance to his left and right to acknowledge the two familiar personas he felt. A feeling of relief filled him as he saw that either side of him was Shade and Nightbreaker and they were intently focused on taking out Blacklight's re-enforcements.

" **Thank-you brothers!"** Toothless whispered, grateful his siblings had indeed returned to help, despite his angry words with them earlier. Neither Nightfury responded as all three collided with their opposites in a morass of claws, teeth and plasma bolts that flew in every direction. Explosions detonated everywhere, on the ground, through the trees and in the air in a beautiful yet deadly show of force that could be seen and heard from many miles away.

In the back of his mind Toothless felt a familiar presence that instead of trying to stop him, actively encouraged him to fight and defend all those he held dear, an image of Hiccup forming in his mind coupled with a rage and strength of will he would use to stop anyone from barring his way. He let it fill him and then spread out from him like ripples in a pond and soon the battle began to wax with even more ferocity, the voice he heard being warm and subtle as she crooned encouragingly.

" _ **YES! ….. FIGHT TO SAVE YOUR HUMAN … ALL OF YOU ….. MY FUTURE NIGHT CHILDREN …. FIGHT!"**_

* * *

 _ **Deathwing's** **P.O.V.**_

' _ **Chaos!'**_

' _ **Such utter chaos!'**_

Those were the thoughts that dominated Deathwing's mind as he observed the ferocious debacle before him from the ledge he had removed himself to. One moment he was trying to get his son to calm down by finally convincing his mate and former love to approach him. The next, after their supposed reconciliation, the entire scenario had descended into a frenzied feral spectacle completely unworthy of creatures that dared to call themselves Nightfuries. It was sickening and heart-breaking in the same moment. Deathwing had watched over his kind for centuries and though he believed himself to be firm, he knew that his methods were nowhere near as domineering as other Alphas he had encountered on his many and varied travels. Now the careful peace he had maintained all seemed to be disintegrating before his very eyes as he watched the once amiable creatures that were his flock attempting to tear each other apart and all because of his way-ward son and by extension his troublesome human pet.

" **What shall we do my lord?!"** Scythe called urgently from Deathwing's side as he and Rumble stood as stalwart protective sentinels by their king's side. Deathwing hummed in admiration that both the Royal guard dragons had more experience and sense to get involved in the brawl before them, despite the fact they were fighting hard against their natural instincts not to dive in and fight.

" **Nothing, leave this me!"** the Nightfury King warbled as he reached out with his mind to quell the aggression and violent fear that was running rampant everywhere.

' _ **In a moment all will be well'**_ Deathwing murmured to himself.

However as he spread his consciousness outward over his flock, a sudden presence snapped viscously back at him, stopping him in his tracks. It was only for an instant but Deathwing reeled back at the image of a powerful presence that seemed to be the source of his people's woes.

In his mind he saw the image of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third staring back at him with an evil, gleeful smirk on his arrogant human face. The boy had a pair of glowing green eyes that seemed to mocking him in every possible way, so when Deathwing again tried to get past the barrier to reach his children's minds, fire burst up around the boy and 4 more baleful green eyes opened on Hiccup's face. The boy began to laugh at Deathwing's supposed impotence, something that ignited both shock and rage the Nightfury King's heart. It seemed that his suspicions about the boy had just been confirmed.

' _ **Somehow the boy was a daemon child who had infected his son, who now in turn was infecting his flock!'**_

This! This would most definitely not stand!

He would go to this child and remove him from the Isle of Night forever, thus freeing his son, his people and himself from this genuinely dangerous threat. Still reeling, Deathwing continued to survey the carnage and then looked up to see, across the clearing on top of the ridge above the caves was the very object of his ire and frustrations.

 _ **Hiccup Haddock.**_

Deathwing snarled uncontrollably as he saw the boy was sitting on Dathomir's back, perched on the mighty dragon like he was little more a beast of burden. The human was surveying the battle with what looked to be an expression of abject horror on his face.

' _ **Not doubt a clever mask to conceal his revelling in the unrest he was causing!'**_

And then there was Dathomir himself. Though visibly disturbed at the scene before him, he seemed completely at ease with the evil human being on his back. Deathwing figured the hybrid still had enough humanity in him to be comfortable with the child despite his sickening manipulations of his son. Perhaps enough to aid him in his plans, knowing that Dathomir was always bitter at being the island's resident outcast.

Deathwing also noticed that his daughter Midnight was now flitting around Hiccup and Dathomir, angrily barking words he could not make out. Yet he was pretty sure he could guess her intent, judging by her vicious glares and screeching tones.

The boy seemed to shrink from Midnight's verbal attacks and slid clumsily off Dathomir's back, getting closer to the edge of the cliff and looking down. Even in the moonlight Deathwing could see the boy was crying. Crying his false tears of mock innocence. Deathwing would rip the truth from him once he got a hold of the boy, regardless of Shadow's feelings about him.

" **HADDOCK!"** Deathwing roared and as the boy snapped his head up, his fierce green dragon eyes locked onto Hiccup's desolate tear filled, emerald eyes. At first it looked like the boy was going to run away as he scrambled back up on to Dathomir's back and was whispering urgently to the hybrid, all the while keeping Deathwing in his sights. Deathwing ruffled his wings, expanded his muscles and took a step heavy forward, ready to give chase. But what startled him more was that instead of turning and fleeing, Hiccup and Dathomir dove down off the ridge and began battling their way, straight towards him, gaining the attention of Shadow who was now trying to pursue them, roaring out his human's name.

Deathwing wasn't sure what to make of it but he knew one thing.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

 _ **Hiccup's P.O.V.**_

"What in the name of Odin?!" the nasally voiced gasped.

Hiccup had never seen such a display in his entire life. Not even the dragon raids of Berk came close. The night he first arrived gave him the smallest of glimpses into what a pack of angry Nightfuries looked like and how threatening they could be. However he never imagined what it looked like to see all that rage and animalistic ferocity unbound.

Now he didn't need to imagine it. He was seeing it for real as the air he glided through with Dathomir was laced with the hot burning smell of discharged plasma along with the coppery scent of dragon blood combined with the bestial cacophony of the dozens of dragons fighting. Dathomir turned in a slow arc over the battlefield and Hiccup had to carefully twist to keep is gaze on the writhing mass below them. On approaching the nest his fears had grown to greater heights as more and more plasma blasts had erupted. The rising heat from the battle was enough to take away the cold sting of the wind on Hiccup's face.

"Dathomir! Quickly! Set down over there!"

The hybrid dragon followed the boy's direction and stealthily set down on top of the cliff above their cave, giving them the perfect vantage point from which to survey the carnage below them.

" **I did say you wouldn't like what you saw,"** Dathomir rumbled as he looked on grimly **"Though I was once a human, my heart mourns for the chaos that reigns over my dragon kin!"**

Hiccup felt bad for Dathomir and he felt horrible that the Nightfuries that seemed so noble were now at each other's throats like the soulless creatures his father had always told him they were. Hiccup knew something was terribly wrong here and his rising pulse alerted him to the idea that in all probability he was in fact the cause. Just as he always had been the cause when there was trouble. At least that was what the whole world told him and right now Hiccup was beginning to believe the whole world was right.

"What in Helheim is going on Dathomir?! Where is Toothless?" Hiccup begged as worried tears began to fall down his pale face as he scanned the crowd for his best friend. But the writhing tangle of black scaled bodies and limbs was making it impossible to tell which Nightfury was which.

" **She was** _ **never**_ **yours Blacklight! I love her!"**

Toothless' distinctive tone suddenly caught Hiccup's attention and he searched frantically for the location of its source even though he had no idea what his friend was taking about. But before he could pinpoint his friend, a familiar black shadow erupted in front of him and a pair of familiar burning blue eyes fixed him a positively evil death glare.

" **YOU FILTHY '** _ **HEESO**_ **!' SEE WHAT YOUR SELFISH ACTIONS HAVE WROUGHT!"** Midnight screeched as she continually flapped and buzzed about Hiccup like a huge angry fire-breathing Hornet.

" **Midnight! What is going on here?! Who started this?!"** Dathomir asked firmly hoping to distract the irate young dragon but also get some useful information from her as well. However Midnight was not going to co-operate as he hoped as she snapped back at the light-weaver.

" **Silence freak! My business is with the** _ **'Heeso'**_ **who has brought this ruin on us!"**

"Me?!" Hiccup asked bewildered, yet practically ready accept full blame for it out of habit "What have I done?! I wasn't even here!" he protested.

" **That's exactly why human!"** Midnight snapped back verbally whilst whipping her tail at Hiccup, catching the child on the arm making him wince and ensuring his tears kept flowing, **"because you decided to go on your little** _ **adventure,**_ **Shadow became enraged and his anger has infected his kin. He cast aside Twilight and Shade, his siblings! You made him break their hearts! Not even being reunited with his mate was able to calm him and now the entire nest is being drawn into his private pit of torment! Look to Moonchaser, see how your actions have jeopardized the life of Shadow's intended!"**

"Wait! His mate?!" Hiccup asked himself astonished that Toothless had an official partner. His draconic friend certainly had never mentioned that before! Hiccup followed the direction in which Midnight gestured and saw a white-eyed Nightfury limping yet still fending off attacks from the dragoness he knew was Raven. It seemed that there was a lot more to the purple eyed Nightfury than he realised as she showed no signs in letting up against her visibly weakened opponent. Truly she wanted Toothless all to herself and would broke no rivals for his affections which he now realised probably included him as well.

" **You caused his Hiccup Haddock! Shadow was meant to reunite with Moonchaser!"** Midnight growled, always moving into Hiccup's eye-line so he couldn't look away from her as well giving him another stinging tail-whip just for good measure, **"They were meant to take their place as the Alpha and Beta of our flock and lead us to a new future and then their children in turn until the ending of the world! It was going to be beautiful but now you have ruined it, poisoned it like the defiler you are! Why can't you see how much trouble you causing just by being here?! "**

Hiccup couldn't take any more abuse at this level and so slid awkwardly down Dathomir's front leg and sank to his knees on the edge of the cliff. Dathomir snapped at Midnight and she flapped away uttering more curses and insults reminding Hiccup just how despised he was by everyone now. In the staccato flashes of purple plasma fire he thought he could make out his best friend amongst the other Nightfuries but as quickly as he picked him out of the crowd Toothless was swallowed up again in the middle of the black mass. If he could just get to Toothless and calm him down then maybe he could bring this insanity to a halt as he had done before. But seeing the wild feral dance going on beneath threw into stark reality the gulf between Hiccup's desires and his powers. The snarls of fury mixing with grunts of fatigue and howls of pain made Hiccup want to wrench his ears off, if only to find a moments peace. In that gut-wrenching second he knew Midnight was right. By simply being here, Hiccup was disrupting what he knew had been a tranquil dragon paradise.

It was all his fault and though it would not be a permanent solution Hiccup decided what he was going to do, to at least ease some of the tension he had created.

 **"HADDOCK!"** the loud clear, bark of his name made Hiccup snap his head up and he gazed straight into the firey eyes of the Nightfury king himself. The huge dragon looked like he was barely able to control himself and his baleful look spoke the exact same words as Midnight had, only with a thousand time more weight and authority. Seeing now who he had to target Hiccup rose up and clambered back on to Dathomir's back much to the large Nightfuries confusion as the boy never once took his eyes of Deathwing.

"Dathomir!" Hiccup whispered, "Take me the king please, don't let any of the others, even Toothless get near me! I need to speak to Deathwing!"

Dathomir glanced back at the boy who still was focused on the pensive Alpha. Either way he knew Hiccup and Deathwing would meet. He could tell from Deathwing's expression that if Hiccup didn't come to him, then Deathwing would come after Hiccup and would not be gentle about it. Taking a deep breath to steady himself and letting his bright yellow eyes shimmer, Dathomir launched off the ridge and once he landed began charging through the crowd of scuffling Nightfuries.

At once Hiccup knew his presence had been noticed and many a pair of duelling dragons halted in their fighting to stare at not only him but Dathomir as well. Quickly one or two tried to lash out at the interlopers but all their attacks simply passed through an illusion of them. In a few seconds, a new form of chaos erupted as a dozen Hiccups and Dathomirs rode all around the area distracting the Nightfuries from what they were fighting about before. And all the while the real Hiccup and Dathomir made their way inexorably toward the king of the Nightfuries who seemed to be waiting for them.

* * *

 ** _Toothless P.O.V._**

Toothless had finally gained the upper hand over Blacklight and tossed the tired challenger away to the side, his cousin rasping and wheezing for breath on the ground. Toothless snorted his victorious indignation as he watched Blacklight limp slowly away, his beaten minions joining him defeat, their looks downcast and their bodies aching, **"This isn't over firstborn, you will not have her!"** the purple eyed Nightfury snarled as he slunk away behind an outcropping.

" **We will see!"** Toothless rasped out on response, his own energy now beginning to wane. But any thoughts he gave to resting were suddenly dashed as he saw Hiccup ride past him on Dathomir. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at just how casually the two seemed to enter the still chaotic scene, as if nothing was going on. **"Hiccup!"** Toothless called desperately, but he was shocked to see neither boy nor dragon paid him any mind. They just kept on moving, a growing number of Nightfuries beginning to chase them. Looking around he noticed in bewilderment the whole area was swarming with look-a-likes of his best friend and his kidnapper and they were also being pursued by his fellow Nightfuries. The only two who didn't stop fighting were Moonchaser and Raven. Determined to help his mate but also to figure just what was going on, he let loose a plasma blast at the rock wall above Raven's head. The resulting explosion shook loose a large shard of rubble that smacked Raven in the head rendering her unconscious and immobile, much to Moonchaser's surprise and relief, especially when she looked over to see the Nightfury responsible for saving her from her relentless attacker.

But things were still chaotic and Toothless began chasing after as many of the different copies of Hiccup and Dathomir as possible, pushing aside any who got in his way, hoping he would find the real pair before his enemies or even worse, his father did. However he was not be successful for as he dived clean through one illusion the light-weaver dragon had conjured, he saw one of the illusions was actually right in front of Deathwing, the copy of Hiccup dismounting and approaching his father. It was only when the boy walked forward and latched on to Deathwing's leg did he realise, to his horror this was not an illusion. Nearly tripping over his own wings and tail Toothless galloped over and violently shoved Dathomir aside only to hear the last of what Hiccup was muttering to the King of the Nightfuries who looked ready to gut the boy in that instant.

The Nightfuries were beginning to calm down now and many of them along with Toothless caught what Hiccup was saying, his voice low and desperate.

"Lord Deathwing, King of the Nightfuries, father of Shadow and lord of this realm, I humbly beg that you give me your permission ... to leave the Isle of Night!"

In that moment every Dragon froze and silence reigned while Toothless practically felt his heart grind to a halt.

* * *

 **There we are everyone!**

" **Boy! … that escalated quickly! …. I mean …that really got out of hand! …. Fast!" (Ron Burgundy)**

 **A pretty epic 33r** **d** **chapter introducing even more dragons. It seems there literally legions of Nightfuries in the story now which is great for me cause it gives me loads to work with. Some of these characters serve important epic purposes (such as Moonchaser who was named after a fellow fanfiction writer) while others are just one-shot, bit players. But any which way, they will all add to the fun of the story.**

 **Once again many thanks for taking the time to read this chapter and the third part of this little section should be up this time next week**

 **As always any comments, questions P.M.'s and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time...**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **Razor95**


	34. Bad Moon Rising PT 3

**Greetings all**

 **As promised, here is the next chapter for ROTNF**

 **Thank-you so much for bearing with me while I got it done. I loved the reactions and reviews I got to the last chapter. I really didn't know it was going literally explode like that and be so long. But you all seemed to enjoy it so I'll call it a win. It's great once you get into a flow of the story the words just fall onto the page. Many thanks to my buddy** _ **'thearizona'**_ **for the beta read.**

 **Things are moving forward better since last time I posted so I'm happy to present you all with this chapter.**

 **As always any questions, P.M's, reviews or comments are really welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 34 – Bad moon rising PT3**

 **(The School of Dragons – Part XVII)**

 _ **Last time Toothless discovered to his horror that,**_

 _ **not only was his connection to the Red Death still active**_

 _ **But also he had a mate named Moonchaser.**_

 _ **When he didn't recognize her, a fight broke out**_

 _ **Which then engulfed the entire nest.**_

 _ **Hiccup returned in the middle of the battle, approached Deathwing**_

 _ **And asked if he could leave the Isle of Night.**_

 _ **How will Deathwing respond?**_

 _ **Read on and find out.**_

* * *

 ** _The Isle of Night, the area outside Toothless' and Hiccup's cave_**

"Lord Deathwing, King of the Nightfuries, father of Shadow and lord of this realm, I humbly beg that you give me your permission ….. to leave the Isle of Night!"

Hiccup shuddered in the silence that descended after he had spoken those fateful words and kept his eyes clamped firmly shut as he felt the gaze of dozens of Nightfuries boring into him. He still held on tightly to Deathwing's leg in supplication even as the dragon king brought his huge head towards him, strong gusts of hot breath snorting out of his nostrils. Hiccup cracked his eyes open just a little to look at the mighty Nightfury but as he did so, Deathwing flicked his leg and sent him sliding to the floor then brought his huge claw down, pinning Hiccup, the boy's head and shoulders the only thing visible between his massive talons.

" **Hiccup no!"** Toothless called as he moved to intervene but he was stopped by a glare from Deathwing.

"Stay back bud!" Hiccup whispered, his voice strained under the steady pressure of Deathwing's claw was exerting on his chest.

" **You bring this torment on my son; you bring this chaos to my nest and seem to be the reason why I couldn't stop it ….. Now you wish to** _ **leave?**_ **What kind of twisted game are you playing boy?!"** Deathwing accused quietly, his voice dripping with suspicion as he pressed down further.

"I don't know what your ….. I didn't ….I didn't ….. mean to" Hiccup tearfully whispered back, wriggling to snatch even the tiniest bit of extra oxygen in to his lungs, "….. but I need ….. to get away from here!"

" **You think I will just let you flee? You would steal my son away from me?! After this _outrage?!_ " **Deathwing retorted, his eyes now blazing with anger.

"I only meant for a week!" Hiccup rasped out as he felt the pressure on his lungs increase even more, "I need to clear my mind and I need more supplies! I would ...gasp ... I would return!"

" **Ha!** _ **You**_ **need to clear** _ **your**_ **mind? You wish to get** _ **supplies!?"**_ Deathwing snorted incredulously before growling in a deep threatening tone, **"What happened here this night is no small matter boy! Tell me child, what is to stop me from simply crushing you right now and ending your corruption of my home and kin?"**

"Nothing ….." Hiccup whispered back in defeat, his pale blue aura almost asking Deathwing to do so.

" **MY LORD PLEASE! May I speak on the boy's behalf?"** Dathomir interrupted loudly, drawing gazes of ire and suspicion from both Deathwing and Toothless who was still fuming with the hybrid. As neither made any indication to refuse him, Dathomir spoke as evenly as he could, drawing himself to his full height to ensure he had their attention.

" **I would ask that you withhold your judgement and not blame the boy!"** the hybrid began, gesturing with his paw to the pinned child between Deathwing's talons, **"This whole conflict happened because** _ **I**_ **foolishly took Hiccup without asking the first-born or his guardians. It was** _ **my**_ **doing and mine alone that caused this** _ **outrage!"**_

Many Nightfuries in the crowd quietly hissed insults such as _**'traitor', 'half-cast'**_ and _**'unclean'**_ at Dathomir's declaration, but the hybrid begrudgingly paid it no mind and kept talking.

" **I believe we all need time to calm down from this 'incident'"** Dathomir crooned diplomatically, " **in such rage, it is unbecoming of us as dragons to unfairly lay all the blame on Hiccup …. Let me take the boy the Island of Munn! … It is mostly peaceful and not a long flight away. Hiccup will find what he needs to bring back and you can be free of his** _ **'influence'**_ **for a time as you consider your verdict."**

" **Hiccup will not be going anywhere with you** _ **Blight-spawn!"**_ Toothless growled angrily, **"First you steal him away, then you presume to speak on Hiccup's behalf and now you offer to be his flight-mate? You forget your place as those roles rightfully belong to me!"** Dathomir flinched and his glittering yellow eyes narrowed at one of the worst insults that had been conjured for him over the decades and it hurt more-so that Toothless of all dragons would be the one to use it. The sniggering of some of the other dragons in the crowd did not help his temper either.

" **I simply offer to repair the damage I have done!"** Dathomir ground out, his urge to strike Toothless nearly overpowering as both Nightfuries began angling themselves to face-off with each other.

" **I should cast both you and Hiccup out for bringing this down upon us Dathomir!"** Deathwing snarled to prevent the two Nightfuries from coming to blows before bringing his gaze back to Hiccup, **"Is it true human? Did Dathomir take you unwillingly?!"**

All Hiccup could do was nod as Deathwing brought his head back up to consider what he was now hearing. He glanced at the night sky and then brought his eyes back to the boy under his claw. " **What guarantees do I have you won't simply runaway once you have passed through The Veil? That this isn't some trick?"** the Nightfury king asked imperiously.

Hiccup looked up at Deathwing's face that was almost hidden by the dark sky behind him. The moon offered some light but all he could really see from his prone position was Deathwing's hard green eyes standing out against the black firmament. For a good few moments the Berkian was devoid of all hope. For what could Hiccup possibly offer or say now to persuade the king who seemed to have more or less made up his mind? It was then the words came to him, almost unbidden as he remembered what Dathomir had spoken to him less than an hour earlier.

"I swear ….. I will return ….." the boy rasped heavily, trying to meet Deathwing's gaze as best he could, "…. I swear ….. by the Stars of Draco!"

A ripple of gasps passed around the assembled Nightfuries at Hiccup's words. Some of the dragons uttered words of fear, others respect while others hissed in agitation.

" **Blasphemy!"** Zodiac barked as she stomped forward, **"the boy takes our sacred words in vain! No human has ever done so! Kill him my king!"**

"Look me in the eye my lord Deathwing!" Hiccup quickly called out to prevent the king being swayed prematurely "see for yourself that I know what I am saying!"

In an instant Hiccup felt his head pushed to the floor by an invisible force, his eyelids wrenched wide and his green irises locked open as Deathwing glared at him. Hiccup saw Deathwing's eyes were blazing all shades of green and felt a massive oppressive force push into his mind. Having felt this kind of feeling before, Hiccup realized Deathwing was using his own version of Toothless' 'true-sight' to interrogate the issue out of him. Where Toothless had been gentle, Deathwing made Hiccup feel like he was being hit in the head with a shovel. A very big shovel. He began to sweat as the force rolled over his mind and into his memory of Dathomir explaining just how serious invoking the Stars of Draco was to dragons.

With a rough jolt Deathwing recoiled and at the same time lifted his paw off of Hiccup letting the boy finally take a deep lungful of air. As he gasped for breath, Toothless darted forward and grabbing a hold of the scruff of his vest, dragged Hiccup back a distance and planting him squarely between his forelegs like an injured youngling. Finally having contact with his human again, brought back the soothing feeling Toothless always felt around him. Despite the circumstances Toothless felt at peace once more, a state of peace that Deathwing did not fail to notice.

Deathwing looked down at them, his mind working meticulously not just on what he had seen, but also what he had _not_ seen in Hiccup's mind. For while he searched for the truth of Hiccup's oath, there was no sign of the six-eyed daemonic presence within him Deathwing had sensed earlier that blocked his attempts to calm his rampaging flock. The Nightfury King eyed them all pointedly before muttering, **"The boy speaks the truth of Draco. His oath is pure!"** gaining a gasp of relief from Hiccup, Toothless and Dathomir whilst several dragons began fevered mutterings at this strange turn of events. Deathwing stepped forward and loomed over the 3 creatures before him as he spoke with a voice laden with authority.

" **Shadow! You will take this child to the Isle of Munn! He will not have a week but just two days to conduct his affairs and** _ **'clear his mind'**_ **. I cannot bear to look at him right now. But if you do not return by the fading the second moon I will summon the entire flock and reduce Munn to ashes until you are all found and dealt with! Is that understood?!"**

"Yes my Lord Deathwing!" Hiccup quickly chirped out, unwilling to dispute the king's decree and avoid a tense conversation between Toothless and his father.

" **Dathomir!"** Deathwing barked, slightly startling the hybrid who was smirking at Hiccup for already using what little he had taught him to narrowly avoid his death at Deathwing's claws.

" **Yes my king?"**

' _ **THWACK!'**_

Despite the fact that Dathomir was a large dragon, bigger than Toothless, bigger than a Monstrous Nightmare even, it did nothing to negate the powerful strike from Deathwing that flung him against a rock wall like he weighted little more than a Terrible Terror. The hybrid hit the stone with a sickening crunch and this was only made worse as Deathwing slammed his fisted claws at his face and chest several times before finishing off his assault with a mighty tail-whip forcing Dathomir to slump heavily against the cold unforgiving rock. It stunned and shocked all present save Dathomir and Deathwing himself as they panted heavily, one from being attacked and the other from being the attacker.

Hiccup threw his hands across his mouth to stop himself from throwing up at the sight of thick blobs of dragon blood splattering onto the stone floor. He was glad to be protected in the shelter that was Toothless' body, somehow wishing he could hide even further underneath his best friend and not attract the Nightfury King's ire, knowing that he would not stand a chance against such an irresistible force.

Sluggishly and groaning in pain, Dathomir pushed himself away from the wall to stand shakily on his feet, his left eye forced shut as he found Deathwing intruding aggressively in his personal space.

" **You will also go!"** The Nightfury King growled as he leaned in close to the wounded hybrid, anger still evident in his tone as Dathomir cringed and bowed his head in supplication, **"Moreover, as punishment for your foolishness and causing this debacle, your fate has just been entwined with the child's! If I decide Hiccup Haddock will not stay here … then** _ **neither will you!"**_

Dathomir's remaining blazing yellow eye widened in shock as Toothless and Hiccup exchanged panicked worried glances with each other at Deathwing's words, each lost in their own sea of guilty thoughts. Any chances of protest were brutally cut off as Deathwing simply turned and spread out his wings to lift off. Before he did so, he looked back at the three worried, wounded creatures.

" **By the way, Nightbreaker, Twilight and Zodiac will also being going with you. While your human is gallivanting with his own kind, you may as well spend your time constructively Shadow, starting by apologizing to your nest-siblings. You leave in one hour! I shall await you at the fringes of The Veil!"**

At that Deathwing vaulted up and with one beat of his wings was gone into the night sky, stars blinking out at his passing. Scrambling to his feet Hiccup noticed, most of the other Nightfuries had now left the scene, some flying, some limping whiles others carried away the unconscious forms of their kin, most noticeably Raven among them. As he surveyed the aftermath of the scene, the ground marred with scorch marks, blast craters, torn scales and stains of blood, Hiccup felt the weight of the day grow on his shoulders and looked like he was going to pass out. But as he slumped over he found himself supported by Toothless' head as his draconic friend slipped under him just in time.

" **Are you alright?!"** Toothless cooed worriedly as Hiccup steadied himself with his arms on his friend's neck.

"I'm okay bud!" Hiccup replied shakily, "it's just …. I never seem to see your father unless there is some kind of major catastrophe that I've caused going on! …. This place feels more like Berk every day!"

" **Don't say that Hiccup!"** Toothless retorted, his tone mixed with worry and disgust **"We are nothing like them!"**

" **Really?"** Dathomir chortled sarcastically in response, spitting out a tooth along with a fairly sizable glob of blood, **"The boy may have a point!"**

" **You stay out of this! I hold you responsible Dathomir! Do not touch my human again or you will feel the of wrath of my claws!"** Toothless growled at the hybrid for interrupting their moment before turning his attention back to the lanky Viking by his side **, "Hiccup why do you want to leave? I know things have been …. difficult …. and I haven't been there for you recently … but you don't have to do this!"**

"Yes I do bud!" Hiccup replied rubbing Toothless' scales in reassurance, fatigue and desperation clear in his tone "my clothes are getting ruined, I can't constantly eat fish, I'm running out of Myrtle Root and there's lots of basic things I need to survive that I can only get from my own kind…"

Toothless hummed as he considered Hiccup's words and begrudgingly admitted, his boy was speaking the truth. Hiccup was a human after-all and needed more 'things' to survive. For dragons it was easy. They had all they needed conveniently housed within their scaled bodies and their affinity with nature. They did not need clothes or armour or weapons, they could sleep exposed, out in the open, in all but the most extreme of weathers. They could feed on anything, their heightened senses giving them the ability to hunt and survive beyond the limits of any other creature, especially humans. And if things got too difficult they could just spread their wings a fly away to somewhere better.

Toothless knew that Hiccup and the rest of his kind had none of these amazing attributes and so had to compensate for them in other ways. Ways that annoyingly involved more humans.

" ….. plus I kinda miss it … you know …. being around other people." Hiccup finished awkwardly making Toothless stiffen with nerves, fearing Hiccup mind like living amongst humans more than living with him. He was going to reassure his boy but ….

" **Hachhem! Don't I count as another person Hiccup!"** the currently one-eyed Dathomir interrupted with a mock-hurt and sarcasm that was disturbingly similar to Hiccup's

" **You're different Dathomir and you know it."** Hiccup chortled back, a smile breaking the tense expression he had been wearing.

" **Of course Hiccup, we both know all about being** _ **different**_ **ha ha ha!"** Dathomir humorously snarked back despite his wounds, causing Hiccup to laugh a little more, much to Toothless' aggravation.

" **Why do you joke with him Hiccup?"** Toothless questioned in exasperation **"Because of him I nearly lost you! Because of him, I nearly lost control!"**

" **I did** _ **apologize**_ **Shadow!..."** Dathomir crooned back sarcastically, limping around to stand behind Hiccup **" … and now it seems I am bound to Hiccup as much as you are! Though it may pain me to be banished also, you can find comfort, firstborn, in the fact that if Hiccup is forced to leave, he will have** _ **me**_ **for company!"**

" **You are bound to no-one! And you will not be Hiccup's** _ **company**_ **eel-eater!"** Toothless barked back, his anger at Dathomir's casual attitude and the implications of his suggestion riling the Nightfury Prince up even further.

"Bud! You need to come down!" Hiccup urged, surprised and even a little shaken at how aggressive Toothless was becoming.

" **No Hiccup!"** Toothless growled as he spoke urgently to Hiccup **"He doesn't understand! He never will! I meant what I said before. Whatever happens I will** _ **always**_ **need you!"**

0

0

0

" **So** _ **that**_ **is how it is Shadow? Even now you still care more for** _ **the human**_ **than** _ **me**_ **?"**

All three males turned their heads to see Moonchaser just standing there, about ten feet away. No-one had any idea how long she had been standing there for, but all could agree, judging by her forlorn yet angry expression she had heard every word spoken between them.

" **I should have known your words were hollow! It seems the only thing you know now is betrayal!"**

At that the white eyed Nightfury turned on the spot and awkwardly half ran, half limped away, her injured wing preventing her from flying off, the sound of pained, angry sobs flowing from her throat.

" **Moonchaser! Come back!"** Toothless roared as he jerked a few steps toward the direction she had left in but halted, casting a conflicted gaze back at Hiccup who seemed equally torn between his friend's needs and his own **"I must speak with her! Get ready to leave Hiccup! I won't be long!"** the Nightfury Prince crooned hurriedly before darting away himself in the direction his mate had gone.

"Bud wait!... and he's …. He's gone?" Hiccup wanted his words to come out in his usual sarcastic tone. However he couldn't help but be surprised at how hurt he sounded, seeing Toothless had just abandoned him. It was bewildering and contradictory, seeing Hiccup believed this whole fight had started because the two had been separated. Taking a gulp to ease his constricting throat the confused Hiccup swore he wouldn't openly cry at feeling yet another wedge finding its way inexorably between himself and his best friend.

" **Don't be upset Hiccup."** Dathomir crooned quietly by his side **"It is no secret how much Shadow loved Moonchaser. When he departed the Isle of Night all those years ago, she was devastated and though Moonchaser is strong, she fears above all things that Shadow will abandon her once more!"**

"It's …. Okay" Hiccup mumbled his gaze still fixed on the promontory of rocks Toothless had disappeared behind in pursuit of Moonchaser, his memories of Midnight's many taunts returning to plague his over-active mind, "Will you stay with me at my cave Dathomir?"

" **Unfortunately no!"** the Hybrid chirped back causing Hiccup to spin around in surprise.

"Wait! … what? ….. Why not?!" Hiccup asked ,worried about being left alone while there were still several Nightfuries milling around and he did not know how they felt about him.

" **There is something I must do before we depart, not including tending to my wounds!"** the yellow-eyed Nightfury groaned as he pawed at a particularly nasty gash Deathwing had craved across his face, **"Besides I would rather not be around** _ **her**_ **right now, especially after what I have done this day"** the large dragon muttered sheepishly.

"Who?" Hiccup retorted, quirking an eyebrow.

" **You will see, besides I can't hold this illusion any longer, see you soon!"**

And at that, the large dragon faded away, leaving nothing but empty air, a small pool of blood and Hiccup wondering just how long he had been talking to an illusion for. **"** And now he's gone too … great, just great!" he drawled defeatedly. However his low spirits instantly lifted as out of the shadows appeared a dragoness he knew well and was happy to see.

"Twilight!" Hiccup chirped happily. At first the dragoness said nothing but just approached and nuzzled her head heavily into Hiccup's chest pushing the boy back a few steps. Hiccup would have fallen over had not another dragon head, gently pushing into his back stopped him. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder to see it was none other than Nightbreaker. Though Hiccup was surprised to see the two Nightfuries showing him so much affection, he was even more surprised to see Nightbreaker acting this way and dared to hope he could count the usually neutral armoured dragon as one of his allies. But his attentions were quickly called back to Twilight who was cooing dejectedly.

" **I am so sorry for losing you Hiccup!"** Twilight whimpered out, causing Hiccup to place his hands on her head and begin stroking her scales to try and soothe her worried state.

"What? No Twilight this wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have run off!" Hiccup retorted trying to smile as he drawled, "besides, I guess there are worse dragons than Dathomir I could have been taken by! Right?!"

" **Dathomir!"** the dragoness growled in irritation, **"When I get my claws on that trickster Light-weaver, he will pay dearly!"**

"Hey hey hey it's fine" Hiccup nervously tried to reassure his silver eyed guardian. "I'm fine. Toothless is fine, everyone is fine!"

" **Denial does not suit you Hiccup!"** Nightbreaker rumbled firmly, his blood-red eyes declaring how outraged he was not just by Toothless' words but by his actions which he figured Hiccup had a hand in and therefore had a right to know about, **"My brother hurt Twilight deeply this night with words sharper than any talon …. and all because you were taken!"**

"Oh ….. I see …." Hiccup muttered as he dipped his head in shame to gaze sorrowfully at Twilight's head while his hands idly stroked and played with the flaps that crowned the back of her head, "I'm so sorry Twilight …. Toothless was just worried … he ….. probably didn't mean whatever he said!"

" **I hope so!"** Twilight replied in equal sadness, **"Because I fear the brother we once knew is forever lost to us!"**

"And that's my fault" Hiccup murmured defeatedly, causing Twilight to finally raise her head and look Hiccup in the eye.

" **No human it's not!"** Twilight urged, **"but you are the key to this and I fear things will not end well!"**

" **I hope you are wrong sister!"** Nightbreaker rumbled in response

" **Me too!"** Twilight replied

"Me three!" Hiccup jumped in desperate that the large red-eyed dragon was right as both Nightfuries let out quiet humorous rumbles at the boy's play on words.

" **Hmmmmmm even now you still make me smile"** Twilight crooned as she and Nightbreaker came either side of Hiccup and began nudging him playfully away into his cave **"come Hiccup, gather what you need. A new adventure seems to await!"**

Hiccup nodded in excitement and trepidation. He did not want to fully accept it but despite all the promises of a new and perfect life, Hiccup was actually happy to be leaving the Isle of Night, even for a short time. And in the dark recesses of his mind he reignited his contemplation of maybe ….. what if ….. at some point … he left … _forever?_

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, The Isle of Night, elsewhere_**

The waves lapped busily against the beach and the rocks as the tidal forces pushed and pulled them in their never ending ebb and flow.

It should have been a peaceful calming sound, but to an injured dragoness, all the rhythmic splashing of the water did was highlight the throbbing discomfort that was pulsing through her still dislocated wing joint. Moonchaser grunted and hissed in pain as the near useless appendage scraped along the rocky ground in-between the trees which did nothing but get in her way, causing her to haphazardly knock against them and increase her already befuddled, betrayed and bedraggled state.

Finally she came to the wide open beach, a rough conglomeration of light stones and white sand that tickled between her talons and awkwardly, the dragoness made her way to sit atop the hexagonal pillars of the rock causeway that jutted out toward to the waiting ocean.

Many a time Moonchaser had come to this spot seeking company, comfort or in her darkest moments, solace. The white-eyed Nightfury tried to forget her emotional and physical pain as she took in a deep breath through her nose, hoping the familiar, pleasing scent of brine and seaweed would cleanse her senses, and soothe her tumultuous heart.

However such peace would be denied to her as, over and above the smell of the sea, Moonchaser immediately took in the aroma of the one she had placed all of her hopes in, only to have them dashed. One who she had to painfully admit she no longer knew while he ignorantly professed to know her. The rustling of sand and the scraping of rocks under sharp talons, followed by the nervous heavy breathing and scent of male hormones in the air confirmed what Moonchaser was sensing. She knew now for certain that Toothless was standing right behind her and it took all she had to control her own rampaging desires.

For despite their close proximity, neither could dispute a 20 year gap stood between them which made Moonchaser all the more bitter and worried about where her former mate's heart truly laid.

As the waves continued their monotonous sloshing and splashing, Moonchaser fixed her eyes on them as she steeled her nerves and let the words tumble out of her mouth, her tone shaky and uncertain.

" **Where you like** _ **that**_ **about** _ **me,**_ **Shadow?"**

Toothless didn't respond but let out a confused growl at the strange question so Moonchaser steadied her-self and spoke more.

" **When you learned of the human being gone ….. I saw such fear in you for his safety, such anger, such concern … such** _ **passion!"**_

Again Toothless kept his peace, allowing his mate to speak her mind as her tone became laced with hurt.

" **Did you ever feel that way about** _ **me**_ **while you were selfishly adventuring off to Draco knows where? Did you even spare me a second thought the moment you passed through The Veil? Was I nothing more than a conquest to be cast aside for not wanting to go with you? Obviously I was not important enough to be even remembered!"**

Moonchaser finally looked at Toothless over her pain ridden shoulder and her gaze bore into the male Nightfury with a cool intensity.

" **You nearly tore this entire nest apart when that boy was taken! Would you have done the same for me?**

Toothless still said nothing for he knew he was trapped by Moonchaser's argument as he reluctantly considered the answer to her question. With his memories of her now free in his mind he realised he had fought hard to win her affections, aggressively seen off the advances and challenges of other suitors and earnestly professed his love for her. A love that she had reciprocated in equal earnest. But yet, in all the decades they had been together, Toothless could not recall a single event that sparked in him such a furious reaction that he had shown this night. It made him feel ashamed that he had not demonstrated such _'passion'_ in the past, but he also countered himself by thinking he had no cause to do so in the rigidly structured life he had lived before his departure. And he didn't have the constant shame of the Red Death hanging over him as he did now. Toothless was going to respond but at his apologetic expression, Moonchaser broke her stare and snapped her head back to look at the ocean, trying to cover a wince of pain as she aggravated her still injured wing joint. An injury inflicted by the very Nightfury behind her.

" **I didn't think so!"** Moonchaser growled bitterly, **"Even that human's scent is all over you, I can almost taste it. There was a time when that was my scent you carried like a badge of honour!"**

Though he had remained silent Toothless, decided that enough was enough and made his move to counter the irate dragoness.

But he knew starting with an argument over his troublesome human would only lead to more harsh words and so he decided to go with a different approach. Moving forward and with purpose he came alongside Moonchaser, slowly and deliberately rubbing his body against hers. It was an electrifying, intimate sensation for both dragons and though Moonchaser tried to fight it she could not help but lean in to the gesture. If the First-born did indeed want her scent on him, she would not stop him for now.

Toothless continued his advance and circled around until he stood closely in front of Moonchaser making the dragoness tremble in anticipation at what he was going to do. In this moment she could pick out individual scales on his thick chest as well as see the damage her razor sharp talons had done to them when they fought earlier. Though they were beginning to heal already, there was still blood oozing and congealing amongst the broken and torn surface of the male dragon's skin. Moonchaser's mind raced of possibilities as fearing perhaps a retaliatory strike or a mating ritual or even more pitiful excuses for his outrageous behaviour.

Toothless sensing this stepped even closer but to the side and with a speed and gentleness that complemented his build, the Nightfury prince lunged forward and clamped his gums around the bone of Moonchaser's injured wing.

What followed was a series of grimace inducing sounds as bone ground excruciatingly against bone. Moonchaser gasped as Toothless gave an almighty yank as with a loud audible _'pop'_ , her wing joint finally slotted back into place. Toothless stepped back, licking his lips and subtly patting his tail on the ground. Even the taste of Moonchaser was driving him crazy as some less-than-innocent memories of them together filtered through his mind. The dragoness however was oblivious to this, for as the wave of blinding pain receded she felt her legs becoming shaky. But now that the hardest part was over, she allowed her magic to do the rest.

Chanting quietly Moonchaser's eyes glowed brightly, as a wave of pulsing energy filtered over her body. Being a healer dragon, she could focus her magic onto specific areas that needed the most attention and in the space of a few minutes she had removed all of the scratches, cuts and bruises she had received as well as dulled any residual discomfort in her secondary shoulder joints. Flexing her mighty wings and rotating them to ensure they were working properly, Moonchaser pulled them in close, satisfied that she was physically fine now. However she felt that she was now the one on trial for she saw that Toothless was the one staring intently at her and he was still very, _very_ close.

" **When I saw you back there ….. "** Toothless crooned, **"even though I did not remember at first … I thought you were the most beautiful creature to grace my sight … and when I look back over all of the years that I was gone … I know that nothing I saw … could ever match your beauty!"**

Had Moonchaser been human you would have seen her blush at the declaration Toothless had just uttered. Yet though she so wanted to simply accept him and move on, there were still many things on her mind that needed to be addressed as she nervously took a step back.

" **Pretty words Shadow!"** Moonchaser replied wearily, **"Easily spoken and yet, easily cast aside when the occasion suits! Have you any notion of the pain I have gone through these past 20 years, simply waiting, all alone and not having any sign of your return?**

Again Toothless moved to respond but Moonchaser, compelled by her broken heart pushed on, tears now pricking her eyes.

" **And then when you finally come back, it is as the crippled and tamed pet of a fragile, weak human who has no business even touching you, yet you cling to him as dearly as if he were your own hatchling and declare him your most important priority! You, a prince of dragons bowing to him so he can fly you, debasing yourself by pandering to his flaws and casting aside your kindred bonds! Please! Tell me why?!"**

There was no anger in Moonchaser's tone anymore. She was genuinely begging for an answer, looking for some sort of handle on the situation she had been distantly watching from afar and now was up her neck in. She felt as if she was drowning now, the uncertainty and confusion threatening to overwhelm her. Toothless, rocked by her sense of sorrowful betrayal that was literally emanating off of Moonchaser's aura in eerily beautiful ice-blue waves, closed the gap between them and lowered his jaws to her ear.

" **Moonchaser …"** the warm intensity of Toothless' bass whispering voice made her shiver, **"the boy saved my life, he is the reason I stand before you now ….. he is the reason I have the chance to tell you how much I love you ….. and I do …. I love you more now than I ever did …. But I will not forsake Hiccup and I will never forsake you again … you speak of pain my love? …... of weakness? … of loneliness? …. in my travels I have borne witness to enough of that to last me the lifetimes of ten Alpha's!"**

" **What happened to you Shadow?"** Moonchaser whispered back, her head coming close enough to rest on Toothless' neck in a partial dragon hug, her voice trembling with anticipation and fear, **"please, if you wish us to become fully bonded mates once more you must tell me!"**

Moonchaser did not mean her words to be a threat, though many would interpret them as such. But both Nightfuries realised it was simply Moonchaser pleading for Toothless to trust her as he had many years ago and that she could begin to trust him again.

' _I guess in the end …. It came to down to you proving what I thought about dragons was wrong …. So I figured ….. I should prove that I wasn't what you thought all Vikings were like and …. trust you not to bite my arm off bud!'_

Hiccup had spoken those words to Toothless a long time ago as he elaborated on when they first met and the boy had been naturally terrified of being around the Unholy Offspring of Lightening and Death itself, much to Toothless' amusement and pride. However the one thing Hiccup always came back to when reminiscing about their crucial encounter was, in that moment before his hand touched the black dragon's snout, Hiccup had decided to take a leap of faith and trust what he feared to be his mortal enemy with everything he had.

And Toothless knew now the only thing that could possibly let him fully reclaim Moonchaser's trust and love, would be if he trusted her with the truth. The whole abysmal …. Shameful ….. Hopeful truth.

" **I carry a great many scars that cannot be seen Moonchaser, scars and shame that run deep!"** Toothless began, his voice laden with foreboding, causing his dragoness to huddle even closer to him as the waves crashed and growled around them with increasing ferocity.

Wary of his father's and his enemies' ever present observers and eager to deepen the intimacy and privacy of their time together, Toothless tapped into his magic and gently knocked on the gates of Moonchaser's consciousness. Feeling his presence on the edge of her mindscape, the dragoness tentatively allowed the green-eyed Nightfury access and Toothless brought himself into a place where he could not only speak his words directly into her mind but he also could show Moonchaser his memories and to a certain degree, make her feel his emotions.

It was a dangerous thing to do, fraught with danger, but time was of the essence as Toothless knew he had to get back to help Hiccup as well as convince his mate, he was still worthy of her love.

For now that Toothless had experienced the importance of both, he would not tolerate the absence of either…..

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Dragon Island**_

Deep within the caldera of a volcano the great queen of the nest stirred.

As the vast beast shifted, it sent shards of encrusted lava, clouds of sulphuric ash and small flocks of dragons scattering in every direction imaginable, fearful of what her motivations were this time.

Yet instead of waves of fear and intimidation radiating off the bloated leviathan, the dragons of the nest were confused that they sensed, for some reason, feelings of happiness and amusement.

For indeed, the Red Death had a lot to be happy about.

After months of prodding and searching and flexing her ancient magicks, she had finally latched on to the mind of her favourite slave.

And oh what secrets had she managed to pry from his conflicted mind!

It was astonishing that a dragon would feel so strongly for a human that he would be compromised to such a degree. And now that his mate was part of the equation, the Red Death was certain another useful pawn and bargaining chip had just entered her sadistic game of controlling everything she set her endless appetites on.

True the wayward Night-child once known as _'Shadow'_ had broken some of the bonds she had placed on him, such as regaining the use of his spinner-fins and freeing the supressed memories of his mate.

But the trade-off had been more than fair as she had, in exchange, finally located the hidden nest of the most elusive Deathwing and the rest of his clan of Nightfuries.

' _Oh what future feasts she would revel in with such a nest of mighty dragons under her dominion!'_

" _ **PRODIGY!"**_ the mountain sized dragon growled loudly, causing many dragons to fall flat on their bellies in supplication.

" **Yes my queen!"** a black and red Titan-wing Monstrous Nightmare crooned as he swooped down and bowed before the Red Death.

" _ **FLY TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR THE SPAN OF 6 MOONS!"**_ The six-eyed monstrosity commanded imperiously, _ **"LISTEN CLOSELY FOR THE CALL OF AN ALPHA AND THEN PASS THROUGH THE BARRIER HE HAS BUILT. TELL THEM I WANT MY SERVANT BACK OR I WILL DESTROY THEM ALL. KILL ANY HUMANS YOU FIND! THEN RETURN TO ME WITH THEIR ANSWER.**_

" **And if they … refuse?"** the Nightmare tentatively asked, rightly fearing her reaction, knowing first-hand how she dealt with failure and rejection.

" _ **HA HA HA! I KNOW THEY WILL REFUSE!"**_ the Red Death laughed loudly, shaking the entire volcano as she did so, _ **"I SIMPLY WISH TO LET THEM TEAR THEMSELVES APART IN FEAR BEFORE I SEND A HORDE SO VAST IT WILL REDUCE THE ISLE OF NIGHT TO A BLASTED BARREN ROCK AND WHAT REMAINS OF DEATHWING'S CLAN WILL COME CRAWLING HERE AND WILLINGLY SURRENDER THEMSELVES TO ME!"**_

" **At once my lady, FOR THE QUEEN!"** Prodigy barked back before stretching out his huge wings, darting up and out of the mouth of the volcano, turning southward and disappearing into the night.

" _ **YES MY LITTLE FIRE-STARTER! FOR ME!"**_ The Red Death chuckled loudly before narrowing her six baleful eyes and allowing her dark sadistic humour ignite her endless ravenous hunger. An audible humming echoed throughout the entire hollow mountain. It was an eerie, haunting sound and every dragon present felt their natural wills and minds forcibly suppressed. Countless slitted dragon eyes focused on the ancient titanic beast as they became nothing more than instinct driven puppets and slaves to her will.

" _ **AS FOR THE REST OF YOU?! I HUNGER! GO FORTH AND BRING ME MY FEAST, LEST I FEAST ON THEE! GO MY MINIONS! FEED ME!"**_

And at that the mountain erupted, not with fire from the earth but with winged enslaved beasts that had no choice but to drop fire from the sky!

* * *

 **There we are everyone!**

 **Sorry I had to cut things short but it seemed like the natural point to stop in order to post on time. Plus it will give me a better chance to flesh things out as more elements expand and become intertwined.**

 **So Hiccup is heading off on a little adventure and we will get introduced to a new Island that will have a role to play in the future. There's going to be some interesting interactions coming up for both Toothless and Hiccup so I hope you enjoy it.**

 **That being said, I won't be updating for a long while as I'm heading off on vacation soon for two weeks. Whilst I love writing and updating, my focus will solely be on doing touristy things in a far off land. Hopefully it will re-energize and inspire me with new material to make my stories better. Next update won't be until the end of the month at least.**

 **I love your support so any comments, reviews, P.M.'s or queries you have are greatly appreciated.**

 **Til next time ….**

 **Take care of yourselves and each other.**

 **Razor95**


	35. Bad Moon Rising PT 4

**Hey Everyone**

 **I'm finally back from my Hols!**

 **Still really drained but I've managed to pull this little chapter out for you guys.**

 **Thanks so much for all of your support so far. It's really amazing stuff.**

 **Don't have much to say right now except….**

… **.Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 35**

 **Bad Moon Rising PT - 4**

 **(The school of Dragons – part XVIII)**

 _ **Last time Toothless sparked a massive fight with his fellow Nightfuries**_

 _ **Which was only stopped by Hiccup begging Deathwing**_

 _ **to leave the Isle of night for a short time.**_

 _ **Agreeing, Deathwing granted him two-days to visit a nearby Island.**_

 _ **What will happen on this little adventure?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

 _ **(Night, somewhere in the skies over the archipelago)**_

 _ **Flying.**_

Truly there was nothing like it. Every time Hiccup felt that exhilarating jolt when Toothless took off into the air, the boy rejoiced in the casting off of the bonds that kept him cruelly shackled to the earth and all the pain it heaped on him.

This time however, was different.

This time, it felt like that those shackles had grown into an infinitely, long chain that was wrapped oppressively around his neck like a leash.

This time Hiccup felt no joy but only warring confusion as he and Toothless flew through 'The Veil' and that was due in no small part to the strange company they were currently keeping.

Firstly there was Moonchaser, flying wingtip-to-wingtip with Toothless on his right, who seemed to never stop staring at Hiccup as they flew. It was hard to gauge what the dragoness thought of him as he stole looks at her only to be met by a pair of pure white eyes. When Moonchaser and Toothless returned to the cave back on the Isle of Night, both somehow miraculously healed of all of their wounds, she had kept her distance and not spoken a word. Moonchaser just ….. _stared_ at him, her eyes wide, as if he was a puzzle to be solved or possibly a threat to be removed. He didn't know what words had passed between his best friend and his 'mate' but Hiccup resolved to ask Toothless at some point. He hoped they had been good for he had enough enemies right now.

Then there was Dathomir, who flew on their left had side and seemed to be doing everything in his power to infuriate Toothless. The oversized, cursed hybrid had started by presenting Hiccup with a large pouch of golden coins from his treasure hoard before they left. The gesture declared in no uncertain terms that if Hiccup and Dathomir were indeed banished together, the once-human-now-dragon could ensure Hiccup lived like a king, comfortable and wealthy. It was clear to Hiccup by Toothless' reaction, his best friend had not thought of that and was not happy at all. It was then compacted by the fact that after take-off Dathomir smugly refused to give up his prominent flight position to Nightbreaker or Twilight who were now flying ahead of them in a vanguard action.

While Nightbreaker kept his gaze resolutely forward, Hiccup shared uneasy glances whenever Twilight looked back him. Her piercing silver eyes tried to comfort and reassure the boy who felt like he was being escorted more like a condemned prisoner than an essential rider.

Hiccup was glad he could keep his focus ahead of him for he did not want to look back at the group that was shadowing him from below. As if representing the faction of Nightfuries that wanted him dead, Hiccup literally trembled as he identified the small cadre of dragons that included Midnight, Shade, Faststreak, Zodiac and a recently recovered Raven along with two dragons that Toothless named Skydive and Raiden. All kept their eyes locked on him the way a pack of wolves would gaze upon a weak and wounded stag, ready to finally pounce for the kill. And flying steadily in the centre of the flapping black mass, staring at him with the burning purple eyes of unfettered hatred, was Blacklight himself. Even from his secure position on Toothless' saddle, Hiccup knew that if the malicious Nightfury thought he could get away with it, he would indeed snatch the boy up and feast on his flesh before he even hit the sea that roiled far beneath them.

Why they were following Hiccup didn't know but he was grateful to all the gods, both human and dragon, that they had been forbidden from following him beyond 'The Veil' with only Zodiac coming because the King of the Nightfuries had ordered her to. Hiccup was truly afraid now and that feeling was not soothed by the presence of both Deathwing himself and Darkwing as they flew about fifty feet above them, shielding him and Toothless from the many lightening strikes that flashed intermittently around them.

As they flew Hiccup could only feel wretched as he realised his mere presence had split Toothless' family down the middle with half of them supporting him and half opposing with Deathwing sitting in judgement overall. Added to this were the obvious agendas of both Dathomir and Moonchaser. Though both hadn't made a negative move against him yet, Hiccup couldn't help but feel the Nightfuries flying either side wanted to tear him and his best friend apart, Moonchaser to replace him as Toothless' main focus and companion while it seemed Dathomir sought to be Hiccup's new steed who would explore the world with him in their almost-assured exile. The Viking boy warred with himself at how the Nightfuries were coming for their own selfish reasons, but somehow he could not doubt their logic or deny their desires. He was after-all the interloper here. He had no say or rights amongst the dragons. He was still a useless human it seemed.

And it was due to these declining spirits Hiccup hoped with all his heart that this brief time away might ease the tensions amongst the dragons and in himself. However his hope began to sink as a new ethereal sight began to manifest in front of the flock of Nightfuries and the temperature seemed to drop drastically, making the Viking boy shiver.

"B – b - bud? Are those … what I think they are?!" Hiccup stuttered fearfully as out of the billowing storm clouds, ghostly shapes began to appear. Quickly the apparitions took the form of Viking warriors, men ….. women … even children … all wailing and screaming either unearthly cries of pain or bone chilling battle cries. From everywhere, bathed in a sickly green hue the ghouls came, swirling around Hiccup, their gaunt, rotting faces scowling, their bony clawed hands reaching out for him. It was as if they were going to drag him out of the sky and into the pits of Helheim.

" _Fleeeeeeee!"_ a warrior wraith rasped as he lanced straight through Hiccup with his sword, causing the boy to scream in terror.

" _Mama?! Papa?! Where are you?! Aieeeeee!"_ the spectre of little girl squealed as she was rent to pieces by another sprite.

" _The gates of death are opening for you!"_ cackled the gravelly voice of an elderly beaten man who swung ghostly chains that were attached to all of his limbs which clanked and snapped in the wind.

Hiccup gasped and desperately shook his arms to ward off the apparitions that swarmed around him, but as he did so they would simply vanished only to reappear and terrorize him once more. As each wraith phased through him again and again, Hiccup audibly shivered as his skin rippled with goose-bumps and he felt waves of cold terror run up and down his spine.

" **Do not fear Hiccup!"** Toothless crooned trying to calm his young ward as he lurched and jerked erratically in the saddle **"Tis yet another effect of 'The Veil' triggered by your presence!"**

"What?!" was all Hiccup could muster as he ducked the flying shape of an elderly female warrior swinging her war-hammer at his head.

" **If storms are not enough to deter humans from coming too close to our home, 'The Veil' will conjure the illusions of lost and damned souls!"** Dathomir interrupted, his tone far too cheery for the macabre display that was swarming around them, **"Most Vikings are a superstitious, cowardly lot so giving them a taste of damnation is usually enough to scare them away for good!"**

"Oh! Well their doing a pretty good job with me!" Hiccup retorted wearily, not even able to summon the energy to convey how truly awed he was by 'The Veil's' power.

" **Bear with it a few moments longer and we will be clear of it!"** Toothless reassured.

"Okay bud, Whatever you say!" Hiccup shakily replied.

True enough, after a few urgent grunts from Toothless to urge his flight-mates faster, the small flock of Nightfuries quickly passed through the other side of 'The Veil' and burst out into clear, moonlit skies, much to Hiccup's relief. Looking back over his shoulder, Hiccup allowed himself to breathe slightly easier as he saw that Blacklight's flock, Deathwing, Darkwing and a few other Nightfuries that had come to watch, had all stopped following them and were simply hovering at the 'The Veils' edge, watching them intently.

" _ **Bring my son back to me human ….. or you will never be done running from me!"**_ Deathwing's deep and powerful voice reached out to resonate in Hiccup's mind. The Viking boy simply nodded and thankfully turned his gaze back to face forward as the King of the Nightfuries turned and led his kindred back to the Isle of Night. Though Hiccup let out a huge sigh of relief, it still did not erase the feeling of a chain around his neck that would inexorably drag him back to Deathwing's court, no matter how far he and Toothless flew.

* * *

 ** _(Later that night, in the sky)_**

The flight to the Isle of Munn was, as Dathomir predicted not very long. After about an hour of flying a decent sized landmass appeared on the horizon, its coastline illuminated against the black sea by the countless pinpricks of fire light, a seeming safe-haven from the darkness of night that threatened to engulf everything.

So far the journey had been mostly silent with Hiccup fearing to breach any conversation. It seemed every question he wanted to ask was simply kindling that would spark a fresh argument or conflict amongst his Nightfury companions. He tried to map out the various and myriad relationships that seemed to connect them all and got lost quite quickly as a fly would in a spider's web. Zodiac had muttered a few old tongue words that Hiccup didn't understand and nobody wanted to translate so he figured they were curses aimed at him and therefore he was quite happy to remain ignorant of their meaning.

As the flight continued and the Isle of Munn grew larger in his vision, Hiccup tried to calm his nerves, focusing solely on the soothing rhythmic movements of his best friend beneath him. Over time Hiccup had learned to read Toothless' body-language like a book; the tensing and relaxing of his muscles, the shifting of his balance in the air, even the varying rhythms of his dragon's breathing were all markers that helped Hiccup in his mastery of flight and using the tailfin prosthetic.

' _The tail-fin!'_

Hiccup had not thought about that in a while now. It was the symbol of his connection to Toothless, the one thing that had brought them together and now bound them to each other in this symbiotic relationship. It gave Hiccup a small measure of comfort as he remembered Toothless' reassurances that the dragon would always need him. Yet this was always followed by Midnight's taunting that Toothless could easily have his grievous wound healed, thus removing Hiccup from the equation altogether. It re-ignited Hiccup's guilt and curiosity all at once.

' _By maiming his friend Hiccup made the dragon his slave, but if that was true, why didn't Toothless just free himself?!'_

It didn't make any sense and Hiccup gripped his saddle even tighter as he wracked his brains to try and figure things out. He was drawn from his musings as the bright light of the moon that illuminated his pale hands became obscured by something. Lifting his head for the first time in what felt like hours making his neck crack, Hiccup looked up to see, silhouetted against the ever-waxing moon was another Nightfury, literally shadowing them from above.

"Uh Toothless? Who is that?!" Hiccup asked, his voice coming across quite loud after the long period of nothing but the sounds of the wind and sea filling the void.

Immediately all of the dragons startled at Hiccup's words and looked up at the Nightfury that was making no attempt to hide its presence.

" **I will investigate!"** Twilight chirped urgently from her forward position before Toothless could respond. Breaking formation, the dragoness pumped her wings and she darted upward, arrowing toward the unknown Nightfury. Hiccup watched in trepidation as Twilight approached the newcomer and he saw the two Nightfuries appear and disappear as they flew around each other, darting in and out of the moon's pale disc. Obviously some sort of conversation was taking place judging by the distant grunts and barks he could barely make out while the ear plates of all the dragons around him twitched and tilted in that direction.

Quite quickly Hiccup noticed the Nightfuries visibly relax and he felt the tension in Toothless' body recede. He hoped that was a good sign.

"Well? Who is it bud?" Hiccup asked.

" **It's Omen!"** Moonchaser replied drawing both Toothless' and Hiccup's attention, **"He is a seer dragon Hiccup!"** the white-eyed dragoness continued in a warm tone **"he means us no harm, he is simply here to observe, you will meet him when we land!"**

Hiccup was stunned as his jaw hung loose. Moonchaser had not said a word to him before now and it seemed she would not even grace him with a sound beyond a draconic growl. But now Hiccup was amazed that the first things she had spoken to him were words of clarity, reassurance and addressing him by his name. There was not a hint of mockery or condescension in her tone. It gave the boy a sliver of hope. But it was only a sliver as the female just returned her gaze forward for the moment apparently unconcerned of this new dragon's arrival or the boy's reaction. Hiccup looked back down and shared a glance with Toothless who smiled warmly as well, seemingly happy at the first interaction between his friend and his mate.

" **You will like Omen Hiccup!"** Toothless warbled, **"He is full of knowledge and has an interesting gift I think you will find very useful!"**

" **Indeed he does!"** Twilight chirped over the wind as she re-joined her place beside Nightbreaker **"father sent him to be of service to our mission!"**

"Well …. That's … uh …. great? ….. Is it bud?" Hiccup tried to whisper his last words to Toothless hoping he could confirm both Twilight's and Moonchaser's assertions, suspicious that Deathwing had been the one to send this Omen. Toothless nodded heartily and Hiccup finally smiled, hoping he would meet another friendly dragon.

By now Hiccup and his escort were overflying the Isle of Munn. Hiccup and Toothless hadn't stopped here on their journey to the Isle of Night due to the Nightfury's home being so close. Hiccup took a few minutes to take in the island below them as they circled around. Munn wasn't the biggest Island Hiccup had ever seen. It was comparative to Berk in size, yet rather than being tall and mountainous with high cliffs, the landmass beneath them was mostly flat with a few hills, large swathes of forest and had a vaguely triangular shape. Hiccup was also intrigued that instead of only having one main settlement as Berk did, it looked that Munn had three decent sized villages, one in each corner of the triangle.

"Should be easy enough to get in and out unnoticed bud" Hiccup mused aloud, "if anyone asks me where I'm from, I'll just say I'm from one of the other villages. By the time they try and check we'll be long gone!"

" **A good plan!"** Toothless warbled **"Just don't linger too long! We don't know what they are capable of!"** he followed up with obvious concern in his tone.

"Don't worry bud, if there's one thing I know, it's Vikings" Hiccup drawled sarcastically to put his best friend at ease, "Now let's see where we can set down, how about that forest near the southern village? It looks dense enough, we might even find a cave in those hills!"

" **Excellent choice Hiccup, Twilight! Nightbreaker! Lead us down!"** Toothless barked out firmly. However rather than change direction, both of Toothless' siblings flared out their wings forcing the entire to come to abrupt halt and flap hard to maintain their balance as they hovered in mid-air. Slowly Nightbreaker and Twilight turned to face Toothless. The Nightfury prince was perturbed by the irritated look from Nightbreaker's red eyed, armoured face while Twilight simply stared wide-eyed and hurt at him.

At first Toothless was confused, but then it struck him.

In that moment Toothless realised he had yet to apologize to his siblings for his previous behaviour and that his ignorance was unbecoming of a first-born, especially seeing the still hurt expression in his sister's eyes. So with a bowed head and a deeply sincere tone, Toothless closed his eyes and crooned lowly **"My brother, my sister, I humbly beg you to be my eyes. I am blind and need guidance, please show me and my rider the way."** It was a small simple gesture, yet the humility in Toothless' tone seemed to make it sound as if he was nothing more than weak hatchling when the reality was he and Hiccup had made countless landings like this on even darker nights. Yet it was small, simple step in the right direction, for both Twilight and Nightbreaker nodded in response and gracefully angled themselves downward, leading the cadre of dragons to a clearing than had obviously been made by loggers. Once landing, Hiccup held on tight as Toothless and the others swiftly ran from the exposed area to find shelter in the cover of the forest itself.

After a half an hour of searching both boy and dragons quickly realised there were no caves to be found and so would have to settle for nesting on the ground in the forest. It was not an ideal situation but eventually they found a secluded enough area where the trees were packed tightly enough to shield them from prying eyes but wide enough for them to move freely. It didn't take long for Hiccup to set up a small camp for himself using what few supplies he had left and a couple of fire-stones he had brought from his cave.

At first all seemed calm and serene. But after a while a tense silence descended on the camp with Hiccup noticing the dragons, Toothless included, were beginning to get twitchy and restless. All of the Nightfuries seemed to be either snapping looks around into the surrounding forest or gazing intently at Hiccup with various expressions to the point it was getting hard to remain calm or focused on the journal he was trying to write in. The Nightfuries collective suspicions at being in a new place seemed to make the sound of rustling trees more grating, the fox's bark more harrowing, the distant snapping of twigs more ….

"You should go hunting!"

The small assembly of Nightfuries looked puzzled as Hiccup nervously launched to his feet, blurting out his declaration.

"You know …. cause we were flying for so long … and you normally hunt in the dark …. And I'm sure there's more fun things you can do besides hang around here ….. I mean only one of you would be enough to watch me …. Right?"

The sound of crickets clicking and the odd hoot of an owl were all that could be heard in the silence that followed as both boy and dragons shifted uneasily on their feet as they considered Hiccup's idea.

Eventually it was Omen who broke the tension as he stepped into light of the fire-stone, revealing than his eyes were completely black with no whites whatsoever giving the Nightfury a decidedly sinister appearance. **"An excellent idea human! The night is still young and some fresh meet would be nice!"** the dragon crooned licking his lips seemingly sparking a general rumbling of agreement amongst his fellows.

" **This Island is new to us!"** Twilight cooed with concern as she warily flicked her gaze in several directions **"What if we were to run into some humans, one Nightfury alone can be stealthy enough to go unnoticed, but 6 of us all hunting on the ground at once? That may draw unwanted attention!"**

The Nightfuries all nodded at Twilight's observation but Omen dipped his head and began chanting quietly. After a moment passed a small blue light flickered into existence and hung just in front of the dragon's face, casting his black pools of eyes into an eerie blue tint. The light increased in strength until it seemed to solidify and it appeared that a blue crystal was floating before the Nightfury. With a steady, powerful tone Omen incanted, **"Father and Mother Spirit! Give me sight beyond sight!"**

A faint lyrical tune began to emanate from the crystal and Omen's focus on it increased as the light that flickered within it pulsed erratically. Hiccup was entranced by the power this dragon was exhibiting and found himself drawn to the black reptile, his hand reaching out involuntarily toward the humming crystal. However before he could touch it, the crystal vanished and all was cast back into the red tinted hues of the fire-stones.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked breathlessly.

" **My gift, my sight-beyond-sight, allows me to see over vast distances Hiccup, far greater than any other dragon, I can observe what happens on islands many miles from here!"** Omen replied, his voice calm.

"Wow!" Hiccup breathed out in awe before his brows furrowed and he stepped closer to Omen, "But …. then ….. Why didn't you try to use your gift to find Toothless if he was gone for so long?"

A deathly silence now hung over the camp and Hiccup couldn't fail to notice the nervous looks in the faces of the Nightfuries around him. Toothless now came alongside Hiccup to demonstrate his own desire to know the answer to the boy's question. At first it seemed Omen wouldn't answer before swallowing and speaking quietly.

" **I. Did. Try.** _ **Every day**_ **in fact!"** Omen ground out his tone a mixture of frustration and shame, **"Lord Deathwing would beg me at all hours of the day and night to search for you Shadow! At first it was easy to follow you … but then one day … you …. you simply vanished! ….. my ability to find you** _ **blocked**_ **for some reason. No matter how hard I tried, all I could muster was fleeting glimpses. Even with your father's magic augmenting my own, all I could snatch was broken visions, half-grasped ideas! I failed my king! I am curious first-born, how was it that** _ **I**_ **could not see you?"**

Hiccup and Toothless shared a look and both instantly knew what or more importantly who the reason was for the blocking of Omen's sight, yet Hiccup could feel Toothless didn't want to discuss it. Omen was looking at them intently, obviously expecting an answer but when neither dragon or boy spoke, help once again arrived from an unexpected quarter.

" **It hardly matters Omen!"** Moonchaser spoke as she stepped between them forcing them all away from each other, **"Shadow is with us again now. You served your king well and you should not berate yourself, even the magic of Nightfuries has its limits! What is important is what you saw just now!"**

Hiccup felt himself release a breath he was holding and thanked Moonchaser with a small nod as Omen seemed to be drawn back to the subject at hand as a small smile crossed his face.

" **Travel northward for a about a mile"** the black-eyed dragon intoned **"there are no humans around so some of you can even fly if you wish. In the higher foothills you will find something very interesting!"**

" **Is that all?!"** Dathomir snorted indignantly **"No wonder you couldn't find Shadow if your vision is that vague!"**

" **It's meant to be** _ **a hunt**_ **isn't it Secret-keeper?!"** Omen snapped back growling and baring his teeth as well, **"I can't take all the fun out of it for you now, can I?"**

" **Hmph! I guess not!"** Dathomir hissed back before turning and stalking away between the trees **"Come then, let us go hunting!"**

Quickly all of the Nightfuries, turned to leave except Omen who laid down by the fire. Hiccup expected Toothless to stay as well. But just like earlier on the Isle of Night, the boy looked up to see his friend staring at him in that same conflicted way as Moonchaser stood a few steps beyond the trees, casting her mate an expectant look. Instantly Hiccup nodded to his friend a forced smile on his face.

"Go on bud! Go hunting with your mate, I'll be fine here with Omen!" Hiccup spoke evenly trying to mask the little bit of heartbreak he felt at how he was unfairly trying to keep his best friend all to himself. Toothless quickly nuzzled his head into Hiccup's chest before turning and darting out into the night, hot on the heels of his kind and kin.

Once he was sure the dragons had gone, Hiccup slumped down to sit by the firestone again and took a deep breath to steady himself. He hoped the dragons would be gone for a while as he began making notes and sketching things in his journal.

He had a lot of things to get if his plan was going to work and now he had to be extra careful as he now had to deal with an all-seeing Nightfury lying ten feet away, watching him.

Even though he was sitting by the fire, Hiccup couldn't help but feel, he was the one being hunted.

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **A new chapter and a new Nightfury. It's quite Obvious what elements came together to create Omen. He's been on the cards for a while now.**

 **Not much all else to say except I'm back so I'll and get a couple of updates out this month but I have a commitment coming up in work so my time to write may be reduced.**

 **Next chapter is provisionally entitled 'Bad Moon Rising PT - 5'**

 **As always many thanks for taking the time toread this one and any reviews questions P.M's or comments are greatly appreciated.**

 **Till next time**

 **Take care of yourselves…..**

… **.And each other!**

 **Razor95**


	36. The Jaws of Defeat PT1

**Greetings all!**

 **Thank you so much for all of your messages of support of these stories. Working full time had put a dampner on my ability to write but hopefully this little mini arc will give you some insight to what is going on and set up for future characters who are about to appear.**

 **As always any questions, comments reviews you may have are greatly appreciated.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries:**

 **Chapter 36**

 **The jaws of Defeat Pt. 1**

 **(The School of Dragons PT. XIX)**

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup and Toothless made it to the Isle of Munn**_

 _ **along with some other Nightfuries.**_

 _ **Toothless then went off hunting with the dragons,**_

 _ **Leaving Hiccup in the presence of a new arrival,**_

 _ **The mysterious 'all-seeing' Nightfury known as Omen.**_

 _ **What will happen during the long dark night?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 ** _The Isle of Munn, night-time, the forest)_**

 **"You're not helpless you know."**

"What?" Hiccup looked up warily from his journal toward the Nightfury lying casually across the fire from him. The long silence that settled between boy and dragon so far had only been broken by the distant hooting of owls or the barking of foxes, neither of which seemed to have the courage to approach the Nightfury and his human ward.

 **"Every time I look at you in the flesh, see you through my sight-beyond-sight, no matter how happy you are, deep down you carry this …. burden, this feeling of helplessness around you."**

Despite the heat of the fire-stone, Hiccup could not supress the shiver he felt run up his spine at this little revelation that Omen had probably been watching his _every move_ since his arrival on the Isle of Night. Had Omen been spying on him at Deathwing's request? Or was it out of his own draconic curiosity? Having been among the Nightfuries for this long Hiccup figured it was balance of both. But to what end, he could not even guess at. To know he was being watched in such a way, to the point that Omen could accurately assess his melancholic state, made him feel both angry and fearful of the dragon invading his privacy with a magical power that rivalled the omnipotence of Odin and the rest of the Gods.

But above these concerns the thing about Omen's words that truly got his attention was the dragon's tone. Though Hiccup could not properly see the Nightfury's expression because of his fully black eyes, he could not mistake the tone with which the Nightfury had spoken to him ….. the tone of _pity_.

"Yeah, I haven't had many people around me willing to help …." The boy quipped back dejectedly "….. it's kinda the story of my life!"

 **"It doesn't have to be,"** Omen countered gently, flexing his paws in the soft earth, **"despite your appearance of helplessness, you have the will to change it and every day I see the number of those willing to help you grow, Shadow of course being first among them.**

"Yeah Tooth .. I mean _Shadow …."_ Hiccup begrudgingly corrected "… is amazing … he saved me you know ….. if it weren't for him, I would probably be dead, if not from dragons then from the Vikings back on Berk. I owe him so much."

 **"Is that why you stay? Because you are _indebted_ to him?" ** Omen asked, imperceptibly leaning forward as if he was about to solve the strange human riddle that was Hiccup.

"No!" Hiccup countered as he returned his gaze to the fire-stone, a small smile gracing his lips "it's ….. it's because … he's the only who made me feel like I was worth something. I care about him and he cares for me so much …"

 **"….. Perhaps too much? …."** Omen asked quietly.

Hiccup steeled himself as he replied, his memories and insecurities still bubbling in his chest, "After what happened tonight? ….. Maybe yes …. I mean he has Moonchaser now so …. maybe things would be better if I just …"

 **"Let's just see what happens!"** Omen cooed, gently interrupting Hiccup's dark train of thought, trying to halt the boy from expressing the helplessness he himself had highlighted, **"Two moons can be a long time. Best it were spent wisely on what _will_ happen rather than fretting over what _might_ happen."**

"Yeah I suppose" was all Hiccup muttered, dipping his head back to his journal, trying to distract himself with the expanding list he had been working on.

Silence once again fell. As the hour passed Hiccup could not tell if Omen was staring at him as he lay idly on the ground, the Nightfury's fully black eyes making it difficult for the boy to follow his line of sight. Hiccup managed to jot down a quick sketch of the Nightfury with his head laid on his paws. A distant roar broke thought the eerie stillness of the night, making both boy and dragon snap their heads up in the direction it came from. The direction in which Toothless and the others had gone. At first Hiccup was worried but let it slide as he saw Omen simply shrug his shoulders and lay his head back down on his paws, seemingly unconcerned with the desolate wailling that had now abruptly ceased. And once again all was still and quiet. However as time progressed, Hiccup tried more and more not to stare at Omen, forcing his eyes to look at anything else but the Nightfury, desperate to avoid asking the question that was now simmering inside of him. However nothing could draw his attention and only one thing would sate his curiosity.

"Hey Omen?" Hiccup spoke far quieter then he realised.

 **"Yes?"** the dragon replied evenly seeming to know exactly where this was going.

"I don't want to bother you but ….. maybe ….. could you….. if it's not too much trouble ….. show me that sight – beyond –sight thing again?"

Even in the low light of the fire-stone Hiccup could see the wide grin that spread across Omen's face at his tentative request.

 **"Of course"** Omen warbled warmly, **"come closer and see!"**

In an instant Hiccup was up and in front of Omen shivering with nervous energy, much to the Nightfury's amusement.

 **"Sit"** the dragon commanded gently and Hiccup obeyed, crossing his legs as Omen brought his head to be just in front of him, **"What would you like to see?"**

"Show me the village!" Hiccup blurted out enthusiastically, "I want to see where I'm going so I don't look completely lost when I go there in the morning."

 **"A very mundane request"** Omen replied, sounding almost offended, Making Hiccup shrink a bit, so Omen switched his tone to a more mischievous timbre, " **But an understandable one. Next time human, I will show you something truly spectacular!"**

Hiccup smiled back at the idea and Omen again began chanting to conjure his magic. As before a blue light flickered around them. Being right in front Omen this time allowed Hiccup to see that the flickers of light were actually running along the dragon's scales and up to his eyes before floating into the air to form the shinning blue crystal that had appeared before.

 **"Mother and Father Spirit, give me sight-beyond-sight!"** Omen intoned and once again Hiccup could hear an ethereal musical sound fill the air. The light, brighter than ever swirled and coalesced until an even bigger crystal now solidified, hovering between Hiccup and Omen. The Nightfury's black eyes were tinted blue again and Hiccup could now see the air around the crystal actually pulsed and vibrated with magical energy. Awareness of everything around him faded away and soon all Hiccup could see was the jagged patch of light before him. The boy knew he wasn't physically moving but he could feel his mind being drawn closer and closer to the light until suddenly he saw clearer images appear within the crystal.

Images of trees he knew were nearby.

Then **_"WHOOSH!"_**

It was like he was flying or running at an insanely inhuman speed. The trees zoomed past, then he was on a shadowy road and before he knew it, the village they had flown over now filled his vision. Hiccup could feel his chest heaving with exhilaration as he took in as much detail as possible. The vision raced around the town, still shrouded in night as they were. Hiccup noted wryly, this southern village was not so dissimilar from Berk and the vision slowed at various places so several key landmarks could be picked out. Hiccup saw the docks with many ships of trade and war docked peacefully at the piers, he saw the sturdily built houses adorned with dragon heads and symbols, he saw a huge statue of Thor in the town's central square, he saw the town didn't have a great hall like Berk but a more traditional longhouse which served the same purpose. Many things could be made out thanks to the light from the torches that hung in the street and from the many firelights that still burned in people's homes. Hiccup even saw several Viking guards as they made their patrols around the sleepy town. They might definitely prove a problem if things went awry. But Hiccup was confident he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself, being such a small and insignificant person he was.

The vision then started to break up and dissipate and Hiccup became aware that the crystal was beginning to fray and crack, his perception of the campsite and Omen steadily coming back into focus. But before the sight-beyond-sight ended completely, Hiccup spotted a particular building. A building with a design that declared it could serve no other earthly purpose. With a large stone chimney, piles of coal and iron-ore lying behind it, wagons for deliveries and a large shuttered window for customers to be served at, Hiccup knew he was looking at a forge!

Exactly what he needed.

And with that revelation Hiccup felt himself pushed back into his own body and the crystal shattering into nothingness, replaced by the wide smirking face of Omen. Hiccup gasped as he saw his little campsite come back into view, his mind desperately trying to wrap itself around what had just happened. True he had been subjected to Nightfury magic before but never on a level like this. He felt he had ran all the way up a mountain then flown back down on wings of his own. Hiccup's own body seemed to catch up with himself and in true Hiccup style, it did what it usually did when he was completely overwhelmed.

It shut down.

The only sound that escaped Hiccup's lips was a strangled, "….. wow! ...", before he pitched forward and landed squarely at Omen's feet.

The Nightfury was surprised how easily Hiccup had become attuned to his sight-beyond-sight. It was a clear sign of a powerful mind. Moreover Omen figured that being exposed to Shadow's magic in the past must have helped the boy for not everyone could lose themselves in one of his visions so easily. Either way the dragon was happy to have sated the Hiccup's reputed curiosity.

But now Omen had some curiosity of his own to satisfy. Especially with Hiccup lying unconscious before him.

He had already heard from an overly enthusiastic Twilight of how strange and wonderful it was to have the human boy as a rider. The sense of bonding and dependency was something she had emphasised and how different it was from being with and dependent on other dragons, be they nest-siblings, mates or even hatchlings. The difference eluded most of the Nightfuries she spoke to, but not Omen, for he had spied on Hiccup and Toothless many times in their closer moments and had a better understanding than most.

But there was still something missing and Omen was determined to experience it for himself. So far, all of his interactions with humans had been standoff-ish at best and war-like at worst, so to find an opportunity that stood in between the two extremes was very tempting.

Besides the night was getting cold and the fire-stone would give out at some point so it made sense to keep the boy sheltered from the elements and any wandering predators.

 ** _'Yes! That was how he would justify it!'_** Omen thought to himself.

Standing up, Omen started examining Hiccup with all the care a large fire-breathing reptile could. His eyes took in every detail, the freckles on his face, the contented smile, the rough calloused skin on his hands, the wild fur on his hair and coat. He took in deep breaths analysing Hiccup's incredibly rich scent that spoke of adventure and excitement but also bore deeply rooted tints of desperation, loneliness and fear. To have so much contained in just his human scent was incredible to Omen. Desperate to learn more, Omen retracted his claws, then poked and prodded the soft mushy flesh of the human to see how it responded and marvelled at just how smooth it was especially against his own scaly paws. Placing his ear flaps against Hiccup's chest, Omen could hear his heartbeat. It was strong and steady, like the boy himself, like Shadow as well. This combined with everything else he had observed helped inform Omen just how alike the two beings were.

As more owls hooted in the distance, Omen shuffled himself around until the boy was sheltered under his wing. Whether it was by sub-conscious desire or force of habit, Hiccup, even in his sleep, reached out and hugged his arms around one of Omen's front legs adjusting himself so he was in a more comfortable position.

"ugh ….. hmmm ….. thanks …. Bud …. Mmmm …. I'm … sorry …. mmm …. so ….. sorry" Was all Omen could make out from Hiccup mumbling. The Nightfury felt slightly embarrassed at the position he was now in, cradling the human boy, but fought the immediate impulse to shake Hiccup off of him.

 ** _'For this was what he wanted, wasn't it?'_** the dark eyed dragon mused to himself **_' to experience what Shadow had, to know more about his future Alpha and to better serve him.'_**

Omen stared at the sleeping Viking for a while. This was a progeny of man, the natural enemy of all dragon-kind and Omen should have been disgusted with himself!

And yet, it was strangely nice having such a fragile, special creature cuddling up to him, sharing his warmth and seeking his comfort. For most of his life Omen had seen humans interact through his visions. He knew they were a cunning, treasonous, dangerous, superstitious, cowardly lot.

To be kept as far away as possible.

Yet now Omen was touched by the blind, unrelenting trust Hiccup, unconscious as he was, was showing him. Hiccup was relying on a dragon to keep him safe. It had been so long since something like this had happened and though Omen knew that strictly speaking Hiccup belonged to Shadow, the black eyed Nightfury opened his mind up to the idea that having Hiccup stay and maybe getting a human of his very own, might not be such a bad idea.

Such thoughts circled his mind as he laid his head down and purred himself off to sleep with Hiccup still wrapped up against his body.

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Island of Munn)_**

 ** _"Ursa bear is strong, Ursa bear is mighty, Ursa bear own forest!"_**

Bushes and thickets were gruffly pushed aside as the giant brown creature lugged her kill homeward.

 ** _"Boar fall! Man fall! Dragon fall! Even this deer fall to Ursa bear's might!" Cubs grow strong like Ursa bear!_**

A gentle breeze blowing through the forest suddenly brought the bear to a halt as she lifted her nose upward

 ** _"Wait! … Ursa bear smell something! Dark smell, death smell, fire smell ….. DRAGON SMELL!"_**

As if reading her thoughts, the black night was pierced by orbs of differing colours.

 ** _"Ursa look, Ursa see! Bright eyes in woods! One pair …. two pair ….. three pair ….. more pair! Eyes shine! No fear. Only death …. sparkling eyes of death!"_**

Seeing the pack of new predators, only one instinct dominated the bulky animal's primitive mind.

 ** _"Cubs! Must protect cubs from dark-wing-beasts!"_**

Dropping the deer, the brown bear rears up and roars in challenge at her hunters that have the night as their ally. That is when the first attack occurs as the pack of Nightfuries launch forward in answer to her challenge.

 ** _"Dark dragons strike! Big, big beast pounces, Ursa bear strikes back! Dragons tumble into dragons. Chaos! HA HA HA! Too keen to fight. They hit each other. One falls and doesn't get up. Foolish dragon. Didn't count on the might of Ursa bear!"_**

Seeing one of their number knocked out, one of the Nightfuries responds in kind.

 ** _" GGGGRRRRRAAAAWWWWWWW! Claws tear into back! PAIN! Stabbing pain, tearing pain! PAIN PAIN PAIN!_**

Staggering backward the bear reels as yet another dragon bites down hard on her huge clawed arm while a third latches on to her exposed belly.

 ** _"SLASH! SWIPE! SNAP! SNARL! Jaws close round Ursa bear! Bite back to dragon heads. Ha! Dragon blood spill, dragon growls in pain! FEEL PAIN DRAGON ….. DIE ALL DRAGON!"_**

With little effort the bear throws herself to the forest floor and rolls down a steep slope through the trees, pulling all three dragons with her. As they roll, their combined weight and speed increase, gouging huge scars in the earth and shattering rock. They only stop when they crash into the bottom of a massive 1,000 year old oak tree, it's sheer age defying their strength. Scrabbling free of the mass of tangled limbs, all combatants stare each other down despite nursing wounds and breathing heavily.

 ** _"Tired now …. Blood everywhere, Ursa blood fills Ursa bear's nose, Dragon blood fill Ursa bear's nose. GOOD! More dragon blood!"_**

With the tree at her back, the bear rears up and beckons the Nightfuries for one last fight. A last stand. A last dance with these devils in the pale moonlight! Every Nightfury charges in one after the other to deliver a lethal strike, dodging with supernatural speed, any counter the bear can make.

 ** _"Talons, fangs and death come fast! Unrelenting, Voice silenced! … claw slices throat! …. Ursa speak no more! …. insides broken … insides ….. surrender!"_**

Slumping forward, the brown bear staggers shakily a few yards before she crashes to the ground, her eyes getting weaker by the moment. As her breathing becomes more laboured and her heartbeats get further and further apart, the bear tries hard to focus on the stars of her namesake.

 ** _"Great bear spirits comes for Ursa bear! ….. Great bear spirits watch …. over cubs …. keep safe! ….. Let … grow strong ….. make proud!"_**

From the starlight come both the Great and Minor Bear spirits. They stand proud of their animal child and gladly usher Ursa's spirit to the stars, until it is time for her to be reborn and the cycle begins anew.

And with that, the giant brown bear dies, surrounded by a circle of the black winged beasts that had been her undoing. They stand in silence, a sign of respect to a worthy opponent, the only noise being their heavy panting at the strain of facing such powerful prey. Despite the violence of her death, they will let Ursa's soul pass in peace.

After a few minutes one of the dragons approaches the still warm corpse. Though not the biggest of the Nightfuries, he is obviously their leader. Unsheathing his razor sharp talons again, with one huge sweeping motion, he slices the bear open from neck to navel and plunges his claw deep into the bear's chest cavity. After some scraping, tearing and breaking he removes the muscle he has been searching for. A huge red hunk of blood spattered meat, complete with severed veins and arteries attached, rests in his claw.

The First-born takes only a moment to ponder its significance before he lets out a bestial growl of pleasure, snaps his teeth out and greedily feasts on the life giving organ.

The other Nightfuries look on respectfully as Toothless devours the bear's very heart!

* * *

 **There you are everyone!**

 **The first part of this little arc which will have a more distinct tone as there are many many things all happening at once so I'll will try and keep further updates as regular as possible. The next few chapters are going to be a bit more adult in tone and subject matter. nothing too bad for a T rating but Forewarned is better than not!**

 **I tried to tell the bear hunt story from a different perspective rather than straight narration. For those of you who don't think a bear could stand up to a group of Nightfuries like this, it will be explained when we come back to Toothless and the others. Wild bears are insanely durable and one of the right size could indeed fight off a dragon. Think of the evil bear from brave and you'll get an idea of what I was imagining.**

 **The next chapter will be "The jaws od defeat Pt. 2" and we will hear about and meet some familiar faces along with some brand new ones.**

 **Hope you enjoyed that!**

 **As always, questions, requests, comments or reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time**

 **Be excellent to each other**

 **Razor95**


	37. Regarding Astrid - An author's response

**Regarding Astrid**

 **Sorry guys but our broadcast has been interrupted by some unfriendly static. please see below.**

 **Okay so a new guest reviewer has decided to weigh in quite heavily on this story and my others and voiced their opinion on how I am handling some of the characters, particularly our favourite shield maiden, the divine beauty herself, Astrid.**

 **And then they have decided that my creative choices must mean there is something wrong with me as a person.**

 **As I was so shocked by the tone of a lot of these reviews I moderated some of them out of the review boards as I didn't know how to handle such a vehement reaction.**

 **However, in the issues of fairness I will publish them in this chapter, the rest you can see in the review threads and judge for yourself.**

 **I will take each review and write a response to it as this anonymous person has requested.**

* * *

Okay! Let's do this!

 **"Why do so many writers feel the need to trash Astrid-especially considering all the things she had done FOR Hiccup?"**

It is true that Astrid is a great character. She is strong, beautiful, intelligent, a paragon of virtue. Someone people might aspire to be like and to be with. Hiccup fancies her and in the end he gets her. The hero saves the day, woos the lady and It's the hero's happy ending.

That's all great! I love it! I really do.

However that is the ideal ending which is just too easy and folks want to try something different to stretch their creative muscles and see what other routes the characters might take if things happened differently.

Let us remember that in the film (which is our only source of information) we know next to nothing about Astrid for the most of the movie. We only have the most basic understanding of her motivations.

She doesn't really do anything positive for Hiccup until the last act of the movie, at which point a lot of stories diverge thus making her positive influence on him a moot point.

She is cold and dismissive of hiccup, she never supports him, (she abandons him to the gronkle in the first ever dragon trial) and the key scene from which many of these 'what if' stories start, has her stalking hiccup to the cove and physically assaulting him. If toothless hadn't have been there it is reasonable to assume things could have gotten a lot worse. All of her backstory is never revealed and is ret-conned through the TV show (i.e. the flightmare incident) and then after the romantic flight it is the fairy tale conversion.

Stories like this don't have that conversion and plus these are Vikings were talking about. They were a brutal yet advanced people and writers have the right to explore that side of the era in which this story is about to be set.

Not counting the fact that world that has been built is wildly anachronistic with things going on that would never have happened back then (flight suit anybody?)

And so if the fanfiction diverges from this critical moment, then we can expand on what we can assume to be the characters we have to work with.

Plus these are teenagers we are dealing with here. Who wasn't mixed up confused and not really knowing who or what they were when they were that age?!

* * *

" **This is a terrible story. You have absolutely NO understanding of Hiccup's and Astrid's core values and the importance of their POSITIVE relationship to the HTTYD universe".**

This isn't really a review but a random critical swipe at the story in general. To say I have no understanding about my own take on a fictional relationship between two fictional characters who are themselves heavily altered from their original source material is just juvenile and ludicrous.

The Hiccup of the movie is different from the books and Astrid doesn't even exist there. If anything the movie is just a multi-million dollar fan-fiction of the author's original work.

Do they have an amazing positive relationship after the movie and beyond? Of course they do and that is amazing! Hiccstrid all the way! But I like to think stories like this (that show what happens when they don't get together) reveal just how damaging it is when they are apart. it subtly hints that they are great for each other but it also shows that life isn't a perfect fairy tale that can and does take the less than perfect road.

If you don't want to read fanfiction that tries to alter what has already been made then don't read fanfcition and just watch the movie and TV show.

The HTTYD universe is a wild amalgamation of ideas eras and anachronisms. Vikings didn't have horns their helmets, I'm pretty sure they didn't have spy-glasses and just what on earth do all those miscellaneous cogs and gears on the cliffs of Dragon's Edge actually do? I don't know! Perhaps someone will write a fanfiction about it seeing the TV doesn't even give us an answer!

* * *

" **Can you get of the primary characters correct? Hiccup's core values are forgiveness, second-chances and NOT resorting to vengeance of violence. The Hiccup and Astrid is your story are Hiccup and Astrid is name only. They bare absolutely NO resemblance to the Hiccup and Astrid of HTTYD."**

My immediate answer? Yes I can. Let me tell you something.

When you reach a breaking point, physically, mentally, emotionally (and trust me when I say I have at times in my real life) And Hiccup does in this story, you either get beaten down or you lash out. This time Hiccup lashes out. He refuses to take anymore. What follows is the journey of someone who lets himself succumb to his dark side and then tries to crawl his way back. Hiccup has spent a good many chapters agonizing over what happened in the cove. Just because he hasn't forgiven or given second chances yet doesn't mean he won't in the future. There are loads of stories where hiccup is vengeful right up until the last chapter and he relents and everyone is happy.

How do you know that's not what I have planned?

Regardless Hiccup still has his core values of intelligence, respect, a desire to be accepted, a desire to help, a want to be loved. He just can't find it amongst his own kind. You say Hiccup only uses violence as a last resort and critisie him attacking astird. Hiccup spends the best part of chapter begging of astrid to stop, begging for her give him a chance. She doesn't and so after years of abuse, Hiccup has no choice. And what is that last resort? Allowing a dragon and only friend save his life and help him.

As I said before, when we see Astrid in the movie all we know about her core values is that she is short-tempered, cold, aggressive, arrogant, ignorant, jealous and has no care for Hiccup or his desire to be accepted.

We only learn more about her outside of the movie's context and even it takes insanely big events for her to even acknowledge any other feelings for Hiccup.

If the event of the romantic flight never happened and we had nothing else to go on then what would change that about her? And besides you have no idea where I am going with Astrid in this story yet so to say I don't know her core values is presumptuous and unfair in itself.

As I said before in the last bit, if hiccup and Astrid are different, that's fine. That's what fanfiction is all about. To have fun with changing characters and scenarios and exercising their creativity. There are countless stories where Hiccup and Astrid are exactly like they are in the movie. Which is great. But there are also countless other stories where they are drastically different. In some Astrid is a weak victim, in others she is cold domineering and totally unlikable. And yet because I paint her negatively in a few chapters that suddenly makes me a horrible person?

* * *

" **This so-called "Hiccup's" regret is TOO little, TOO late. He deserves to rot in Viking Hell."**

He regrets his actions literally in the chapter after the attack. He asks if he did the right thing. And then in following chapters he thinks back to the attack and he is not happy. He might still rot in Hell. You never know. Thanks for the idea. I might use it!

* * *

" **After what this "Hiccup" did to "Astrid" he deserve whatever terrible thing befalls him-he is NO hero."**

In a way you are right, Hiccup does deserve to get what comes to him. And guess what? He does! He lands on an island full of dragons, the majority of which want him hurt gone or dead and make no small thing about telling him that. They ridicule him and hurt him and make him miserable.

Maybe right now he is no hero but like all characters he may never be or he might turn around to become one. If you think the path to being a hero is short simple and easy and absent of mistakes and missteps then you have very shallow expectations of these characters which is fine. But please don't go criticising me for trying to explore these characters a little deeper and more thoroughly.

* * *

" **It's offensive that you would call someone a "hero" who let Toothless do to "Astrid" what this "Hiccup" did. Villain? Yes. Hero? Never, unless you have a really SICK idea of what a hero is."**

First off.

I don't think anywhere in this story do I refer to Hiccup personally as a 'Hero' and neither does he. In fact Hiccup would be the last person to call himself a Hero. If I have used that word to describe him (Author's notes aside) then do tell me the chapter and paragraph. But don't put words in my mouth.

Hiccup may not be a hero but he is no villain. Not yet at least.

Hiccup didn't intervene while Astrid was attacked. That is totally wrong to you. Yet in most of the fanfiction histories and judging by her actions in the movie itself, Astrid does nothing to help Hiccup before the she discovers Toothless.

Using your own logic Astrid is no hero either.

At least Hiccup told Toothless to stop before he killed Astrid. Would you rather Astrid was removed from the story entirely. If so then there won't be any fun to be had in the future (and trust there will be fun).

As I said before I never called Hiccup a hero and I can assure you I am quite well. I just have a more realistic ideas as to how a human being might act and think and not some one-demensional ideal that doesn't allow any room for expansion with the amount of material they have to work with.

* * *

" **I just have to ask. Since its painfully obvious that you never intended "Hiccup's" and "Astrid's" relationship to be a major part of this story why did you feel the need to write the first four chapters of this story in the way you did-with BOTH "Hiccup" and "Astrid" TOTALLY OOC. Do you really hate the Astrid and Hiccup of canon as well as their positive relationship so much-that you had to trash them and it in the way you did? Those chapters could have been left out and this story would have been the better for it. So again, the question, and it is not rhetorical, WHY?"**

I wouldn't say painfully obvious.

It's just obvious.

Maybe painful to you but seeing I've never met you or know anything about you there's not much I can do about how you feel about a story that I've been writing for about 18 months now. Being late to the party and having a vehement extreme unrelenting voice doesn't mean you've got a more valid opinion than anyone else on here.

Not every story has to be Hiccstrid you know. Since when did that become a pre-requisite for wanting to publish a HTTYD fan-fic? There loads of others that are.

Are the characters OOC?

The argument could be made as yes.

But as I said before. most of what we think know about Hiccup's and Astrid's pasts come mainly from reading other folks fan-fictions and stuff that was ret-conned from the TV show which during the context of the movie we can only guess at. So the pasts of these characters are wide open to development as are the future evolution they might have. Who's to say they won't end up exactly as they do by the time second movie rolls around? They just got there via different roads.

Plus you have no idea how peaple will react when pushed to extremes by grief, fear and depression (Hiccup lets himself get struck by lightening to save toothless, only because he is desperate)

Why did I trash the positive aspects of Hiccup and Astrid of canon? Do I hate them?

If I hated them, do you really think I would take the time and energy to write a story revolving around these characters that is over 150, 000 words long and will probably end up double that by the time it is finished?

I love these characters. I really do. But like a lot of writes and readers, we like to see how these characters might be if things were different. It's the reason why this site exists, why I write and why you read. To see where things might go! If it means developing the characters in different ways then so be it. Isn't that what makes it fun? Or do we all have to conform to the same arcs, story plots and emotional beats?

If so I doubt many people would post or read anything on here.

Why did I write the first four chapters as I did?

Well if you read the Author's notes it explains that one event can be seen from different perspectives with each new viewpoint adding new details and reveals. Is it wrong for me write in ways that don't spell everything out right away? Is wrong for me to be creative and not broadcast stuff right away, letting tension and drama build up?

Overall why did I write it this way?

Non-rehtorically. Because I can, because I did, because I enjoyed crafting an opening that was different from any other story out there and exercising my human right be creative and not blindly conform to what 'canon' dictates.

* * *

" **Given how you have written Astrid in this and your other stories, I would hate to read what you write if she wasn't "our favourite shield maiden". You don't get Astrid at all."**

You seem bound and determined to defend Astrid. If you think I don't get her, that's fine. If nothing I've said so far can persuade you otherwise. Again that's fine, its your opinion you're entitled to it. But because I don't write her as you would want her to be that doesn't make me wrong.

Lets all just calm and remember these are characters that were taken from their original portrayal in the books, warped morphed and redesigned to fit the Hollywood formula.

We only got more emotional depth and backstories after the fact. So in a way Astrid is only our favourite shield maiden because Hollywood deems it so. If the character was someone different then maybe I wouldn't be catching all this flak from you and you might enjoy it better.

But as in life, people will disagree with you, you can't please everyone and we can't always get what we want.

* * *

" **If all questions, requests comments or reviews are greatly appreciated then why have none of mine shown up or been responded to? Or do you only allow 100% positive reviews? And if you can't handle reviews that aren't positive then you should have the integrity to say so up front."**

I do appreciate all the feedback I get. Even this stuff.

You wanted a response well this it. A whole chapter dedicated to it!

I didn't let them SOME through because I was just stunned by the brutal and derogatory tone you have been using. But here they are in all of their glory. I can take criticism but you just want to create a storm to get attention and undermine people like myself who just trying to have a bit of fun and connect with fellow fans in this community.

Plus I'd hardly call some your comments 'reviews'

I don't know if I'm the only one you have singled out to attack like this, but it seems you delight in tormenting people.

You need to relax my friend. I'm sure you are good person and I'm blown away by your passion. But you need to express yourself with a bit more civility.

 **Which brings me to my final point.**

Usually it is one review per chapter for people who have signed up and gotten accounts here.

You have no account, you have no user name and so you have taken it upon yourself to abuse the guest system and post multiple flames on the same chapter. If you are going to attack me just do it in one go and not in lots of tiny jabs. It makes it look like you are only thinking this stuff up as you go along.

I didn't respond because you have no account to respond to. You are a GUEST which means you must respect the place you are visiting and the people in it. It's a thing called common decency. You hide behind anonymity and strike at folks without any care for the hurt you cause which is just petty and pathetic.

You really want to communicate about this?

You really call yourself a fan and write like you understand these characters better than the rest of us?

Well I'd say right back you - Either sign up or shut up!

Then I might take your remarks more seriously than I already have.

For the record I can handle negative reviews just fine and this chapter has proven it - But how dare you question my integrity?

You don't know a thing about me, the same way I don't know a thing about you.

You found my story. You chose to get offended, you chose to attack me.

You chose to respond that way.

And then you chose to put yourself in a cowardly position out of reach so the only way I can respond is through this kind of posting which is not how civilised being communicate and share ideas.

I do thank you for taking the time to read the story thus far and in the speed that you did. But if it was for no other reason but bash it and me by focusing solely on just one aspect of the story which I haven't even gotten around to addressing and developing ... then I have no response.

Because I know that no response I make will be enough to satisfy you.

And there-in lies the problem. With you, not me.

So my conclusion to you is yes, this isn't a story that sings to Valhalla the amazing instant relationship of Hiccup and Astrid at this time. Rather than slavishly follow the plot of the movie, it presents them with a different set of challenges and conflicts which is the whole point of this site in the first place.

If you can't handle that then I suggest you move on to other stories or show some courage, declare yourself, sign up so we can open a proper line of communication and actually discuss how you feel.

If not then you're going to have live with your own anger and disappointment, while I continue to enjoy myself as I write the story I want to write.

It's called fan-fiction for a reason.

Until next time

Take care of yourself

And those around you.

* * *

 **There we have it guys**

 **Our Normal broadcast should resume this weekend. It's gonna be fun.**

 **For those who enjoy fun that is.**

 **Till next time**

 **Be excellent to each other!**

 **Razor95**


	38. The Jaws of Defeat Pt 2

**Greetings all!**

 **I decided to post early so I can have a word with you all again.**

* * *

 **My dear, dear friends!**

 **I cannot thank you all enough for the amazing avalanche of support that came about as a result of my previous posting. For the longest time I agonized over whether to show this.** **From long time fans and collaborators to folks who have been happy to read on the sidelines, you all came out in an insanely touching show of solidarity that just took my breath away.** **I do appreciate comments, reviews, PM's, questions and feedback, both positive and negative. I take the bad along with the good in equal measure.**

* * *

 **BUT THIS YOU HAVE TO READ!**

 **I strongly advise you all to take a look at this guest's response to the authors note chapter.**

 **He / she puts forward an incredibly well structured and thought out argument that I fully support as it justifies exactly where he / she stands and why they make the case that they do. it is a really great response that I will keep in mind when I come back to these characters later in the story. It's just the kind of in depth review that gets us talking (tho we maybe didn't arrive at it in the right way).**

 **I will be the first to admit that I got a bit over-passionate myself in my response (especially in the last bit). But I had no idea where you were coming from and why it happened all of a sudden. Only now do you say that you have experience in dealing with abusers and victims of abuse. that is incredible and most definitely a very worthwhile and admirable calling to undertake in life! What you said was brilliantly insightful and worth keeping in mind if I ever have to write another Hiccup / Astrid story in the future. But (as is one of the major points of this exchange) I didn't know that and with the quickfire nature of your reviews appearing and the tone I felt i was being addressed in, I couldn't help but feel I was being treated unfairly. It's like being jumped in alley and you've no idea why all these seemingly negative things are coming at you one after the other with no previous warning or explanation.**

 **So in response to what I interpreted as an attack, I lashed back. And if it hurt you then I apologize as well.**

 **It was just too much to take in! And when the old Irish blood is up, then you gotta watch out! But we are all adults here and I know we can get along better. I've just been on the receiving end of flamers before and they have the advantage of being un-contactable so you cant even find out more about why they feel the way they do and thus open a dialogue. I feel better with pen names and accounts because (despite us all still being private individuals) there is some accountability and I don't want to speak directly to one person through authors notes on issues as important as this when we can have a far more fluid debate through the FFN messaging system.**

 **I know I sounded rude in my response so I'm sorry for that.**

 **As to everyone who came out and responded to our guest, we too owe him / her the courtesy of being responsible and respecting their right to say what they want without resorting to insults and name calling. I do appreciate the support but we all just gotta keep things calm and be excellent to each other. No-one is guilty, no-one is innocent, we're just having a bit of fun is all. So lets just leave it at that and not let things descend any further. we are all better than that so I hope this exchange can turn into something more constructive and we can all get back to enjoying ourselves.**

 **To our guest I say I hope you continue reading and I'd like to put all this unpleasantness aside. if you wanna talk to me about things in depth then contact me through the PM service and I'm sure we can have even better conversations. I want it to be a two-way thing rather than second guessing each other!**

* * *

 **That being said guys, let's get back to business and start sowing some seeds!**

 **This chapter introduces two characters: one old, one new and continues the theme of introducing new players to the game board from all different sides of the Archipelago. there will be a few chapters like this before we wrap back around to Berk, Toothless and Hiccup to show that a convergence is slowly in the making.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **The Return of the Nightfuries:**

 **Chapter 37: The jaws of Defeat PT 2**

* * *

 _ **Last time Hiccup shared a vision with Omen and**_ _ **Toothless Killed a bear.**_

 _ **What else will happen during the long dark night?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, Across the Archipelago, same time, Lava-Lout Island)**_

"What do you mean she's GONE?!"

Though Greta the Grey had been around Vikings all her life; raised them, feasted with them, taught them, fought them and killed them. Still she could help but cringe in the face of Teela's irate outburst. The elderly, former Bog-Burglar had been living on Lava-Lout Island for over 10 years with her husband Halvar Firefist. Though it pained her to live far away from her Birthplace, she had no regrets about following her heart and joining her love's tribe, accepting Bertha's order of exile with good grace.

However being out of her old friend and Chieftess' sight had not put her out of mind and so she was honoured to be made the guardian of the Bog-Burglars' most recent yet most important exile. Camicazi, first-born of Big-Boobied-Bertha and potentially the next heir to the Bog-Burglar tribe. At first all had gone well, with Camicazi settling in nicely, content to wait until her tribe's (and mother's) outrage had cooled and the Chieftess contrived a way to rescind her daughter's exile and bring her home.

"Of all the stupid, hair-brained, senile, old bats, Bertha had to entrust Cami to you!"

Greta Scowled at Teela as she continued her ranting, something she had been barely tolerating the moment the seasoned warrior and her cohorts had burst into her home late at night, demanding that the Bog-Burglar heir be brought to them immediately.

" _ **SCHNICKT! WHOOSH! THUNK!"**_

The sound of the hunting knife Greta kept in her tunic being drawn and then slammed into the surface of the table she was sitting at brought Teela's rant to an abrupt end.

"I see you never did learn to control that mouth of yours _child!_ " the elder woman sneered, attaining Teela's full yet still angry attention. "Unlike you, Cami is a true child of the Bog! She stayed here for about six months before she got the wanderer's itch that all Burglars get! I came home one day to find a note thanking me for my help but that she felt her destiny lay elsewhere. She asked that her mother not be told."

The tense silence that followed was so thick and only continued to grow as Teela digested this news. Everyone knew what kind of reaction was coming and even Teela's battle sisters braced themselves for the inevitable …..

" **YOU MEAN CAMI HAS BEEN GONE FOR AN** _ **ENTIRE YEAR**_ **?!"**

The piercing scream of the warrior had now attracted the attention of a few passing villagers as well as the night-watchmen who were warily approaching the Firefist home, swords and shields at the ready.

"Yes." Was all Greta calmly replied.

Teela seethed, her breaths ragged through her clenched teeth as she tried to calm herself at the implications of this news. Eventually she gathered herself .

"So ….. you old witch ….. would you ….. stupid as you are … by any chance …. Have any idea …. Where she might be?"

"No!" Greta oozed back with disdain, "I've received letters from her from all over the archipelago and one or two from beyond it. Camicazi could be literally _anywhere!"_

Teela's hand went instinctively went to the hilt of her sword. She wanted nothing more to remove this withered old hag's head from her shoulders.

"Why is it so urgent that she return home?" Greta asked, her voice mixed heavily with curiosity and concern for her former young ward.

"That does not concern you, you exile!" Teela snapped back harshly "But if you do see her, you are to tell her that Bertha needs her back home as soon as possible! Do you think you can do that you DISASTROUSLY FADED OLD CRONE?!"

" **IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE!?"** a powerful voice broke through the house drawing the attention of all the women present.

The owner of said voice quickly revealed himself as in walked Halvar Firefist himself, captain of the Lava-Lout guards.

Though well on in years, his martial prowess and masculine presence had yet to diminish. He stared down the unwelcome guests that had invaded his home after their sudden and brusque arrival and had respectfully kept his distance outside to let the women speak alone, until now. He knew how strong his wife was and how highly Bog women prized their independence. But things had gone too far. He would do his duty. To protect his Island that was being disturbed and more importantly his wife's honour, which had just been grievously insulted.

"You have no idea just how big a problem we now have _man-thing_!" Teela hissed before her eyes widened in exasperation and horror "Cami is needed by her mother. We were told not to return without her! This was supposed to be a simple recovery mission but now we can't even ….. Oh gods if we don't find her then we'll be … oh Gods! …. We have to find her!"

"Then I suggest you get going Teela Holmdottir" Greta firmly ordered "Even at her young age, Cami is already a master Burglar and she will not be easily found!"

"You heard my wife!" Halvard added gruffly, his sword hanging loosely by his side, angled to defend or attack, "It's time for you to leave our Island!"

"Fine!" Teela grunted in response before pointedly looking at Greta "There's _nothing_ here for us anyway!"

"If you don't find her …." Greta replied smoothly, a wide fake smile on her face "… do visit me again …. Though I may be an _old crone_ … I seem to have a talent for taking in Bog-Burglar _exiles!_ "

The elder woman smirked, taking great pleasure in the spark of fear that crossed the face of Teela and her fellow warriors. To be banished from the Bog was the worst thing that could happen to any of them and while Greta had made a happy home for herself with the Lava-Louts, none of the young women before her had any intention of adapting to that kind of life for any reason.

Not wanting to be undermined any further and out of options Teela schooled her features. Along with her escort of Bog warriors she turned on her heel and marched quickly back to their comrades on their ship. Even though it was dangerous to be on the open sea at night Teela did not care. She wished to put as much distance between herself and this accursed Island as possible.

"Set sail ladies!" Teela barked as the ship pulled away onto the calm ocean waters, "This just short trip just turned into a full blown quest and I'll be damned if we fail!"

And with that the ship departed with a crew of bewildered Bog-Burglar warriors all asking themselves the same question.

"Where on Midgard was Camicazi, heir to the Bog-Burglars?"

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, same time, Hysteric Isle)**_

"Where are you boy?!" the sadistic man screamed into desolate the night air. The huge mountain of a man threw his half-full jug of Meade randomly into the gloom only to hear the clay object shatter against the rocky ground. Even in his addled state the Viking still possessed that low cunning that had thwarted so many of the escape attempts his slaves had made in the past.

Even this one.

The revolt had been well planned, but old man Orgnyr had known all about it. His slaves had been far too quiet of late, fulfilling their work quotas with barely a grumble, even when he and his men starved their children and ravaged their women. Orgnyr had noticed the almost unnoticeable shortfalls in his stocks, the odd knife here, the misplaced farming tool there. Slaves would be sent off to perform spirit breaking work, only to come back with that quiet determined hope that only fools held in their eyes. And so he had bided his time and even let his guard down. He let his battered possessions have their hope, only so he could savour this moment all the more. The moment when he destroyed that hope and crushed their spirits utterly.

The hidden guards had performed well. Everyone thought the Islands most elite warriors had left with their chief for Stoick the Vast's wedding. How wrong the slaves were. Almost as soon as the rebellion had begun, Orgnyr's hired thugs had out-flanked the slaves, slaughtered the toughest fighters and drove the rest back to their cells for further punishment. The screams from the cells could still be heard over the cracking of whips, the wailing of women and the sick laughter of evil men.

Orgnyr grinned as he knew he was going to capture the very last of them. This boy had always been a slippery eel of a thing and finally he had his excuse to cut the little savage's head off and cast it before his bitch of a mother to finally shatter her heart and break her spirit.

"You can't hide forever you little dark-skinned demon!" Orgnyr hissed cruelly, knowing full well his quarry was nearby, hiding in the long grass or up a tree somewhere, using the night to its fullest advantage, "Come on out and maybe I won't give your sly mother all of her 30 lashes! Ha ha ha ha!"

Zyon was visibly shaking as the sadistic man's barbaric words pierced the air followed by his disgusting laughter and a few cracks of the whip he always carried with him everywhere. Zyon knew and feared that whip well. Some days he could not tell where the man who wielded it finished and the instrument of torture began.

"Are you there boy?! Even if you aren't, you won't even make it off this island and soon you'll be back with Old Orgnyr where you belong!"

Zyon wanted nothing more but stand and kill Orgnyr. But the warring emotions within him had to be contained at all costs. He was terrified of the man hunting him less than forty feet away, he was worried for his mother, if she was even alive that is, he was angry that he and his fellow slaves had been fooled, he was elated at having got further than he ever had before. The feeling of freedom was beckoning him, teasing him with the promise of a better life, but more with the chance to find help and return to free his people once and for all.

He remembered the vow all of them had made before the revolt began.

" _those who succeed in escaping must get as far away as possible. Find a way home or find help. Those who win their freedom deserve it. Better to die free than live in chains!" the ringleader Turock had declared._

Though in that moment, he saw deep worry and sadness in his mother eyes, she had also given him a pointed nod that she was giving him her blessing to leave if he could. She was placing what little hope she had left in him. Zyon would not fail her.

A gentle breeze rolled over the field the two men were in, startling Zyon from his thoughts as the cool air stung the skin on his wrists and ankles where chains, ropes and manacles had once held firm. But no longer. Zyon was free and he would use that freedom to do whatever it took to destroy Orgnyr and all that the despicable old bastard stood for.

However Zyon would leave his mark before fleeing into the night to fulfil his vows. Picking up the sharpest piece of clay from the jug that had smashed mere feet away from him Zyon uttered a silent prayer to his Numidian ancestors. Then slowly raising himself up, his brown eyes burning with all his years of fear, anger and hate, Zyon flung the sharp serrated piece of shrapnel as hard as he could at the huge wide open target that was Orgnyr's big fat face.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! MY EYES! …. UUURRRGGGGHHHH …. YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT YOU SCUM!"

Zyon didn't linger to savour his small victory. Time was life. He knew evil men like Orgnyr wouldn't be laid low by such an assault. Probably blinded in the eye the huge man was now clutching as he scrambled about the ground yelling all sorts of curses and profanities. All the skinny former slave did was smile bitter-sweetly as he took the opportunity to spin on his feet and begin sprinting away before any more guards turned up to assist their cruel master. He knew where he was going and had to get there as fast as possible. In all of his drunken ranting, Orgnyr had been wrong about one thing and that would be his eventual undoing

The night was calm and the sky was clear as a heavily waxing moon gave the young man just enough light to navigate by. Despite his fatigue and breaking heart at leaving his people behind to suffer, Zyon kept running, dreaming of the warm sunshine of his birth home and that one day he would see it again.

But not yet.

He had much to do.

 _ **Not yet!**_

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **That's it thus far. There's much more to come but I figured I'd have to start their origins somewhere.**

 **I hope you liked it.**

 **Next chapter will again introduce two familiar characters and two new ones for your enjoyment as part of 'The Jaws of Defeat' mini- arc.**

 **As always reviews, comments, PM's and questions are greatly appreciated be they good, bad or indifferent.**

 **Until next time**

 **Be excellent to each other**

 **Razor95**


	39. The Jaws of Defeat Pt 3

**Greetings all!**

 **Back once more this week for my Sunday upload making this my third update in a week. what is going on?! (making shocked eyes bulging face).**

 **Anyway I finished this chapter early and so like the previous 'Jaws of Defeat' chapters it introduces new players to the game and catches up with some other characters we haven't seen in while.**

 **This time around we're up for some high adventure! I hope you like it!**

 **As always any reviews, PMS and comments are greatly appreciated.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Return of the Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 38**

 **The Jaws of Defeat Pt. 3**

* * *

 **Last time**

 **Hiccup had a vision, Toothless made a kill,**

 **Camicazi is missing and Zyon escaped.**

 **There is still much to see.**

 **Who will we meet this time?**

 **Read on and find out!**

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, same time, Haven, Capital town of The Peaceable Isles)**_

The thing about the Peaceable tribe?

 ** _They were just too damned easy!_**

Too easy to fool, too easy to fight, too easy to conquer.

Such were the thoughts going through the Pirate Lord Eobard the Blackbeard's mind as he knocked out another Peaceable tribesman with a swift punch to the side of the head. The foolish young man just lay there, clutching the rake he was waving like a fool, only moments before. Eobard and all of his men knew that when you raided the Peaceables, you hurt and maimed, but you didn't kill. Otherwise there would be no-one to boss around over the winter. You also never over-stayed your welcome if the rumors of curses from the gods were to be believed. And if even they were true, why didn't that make them fight back harder?

It was the strange thing about the Peaceables. Every year they were raided by practically every other tribe in the Archipelago. It had become a running joke. They never practiced the ways of war, Somehow they always had resources to survive, always had new people to replace those they lost in raids and never, ever took revenge. The infuriating people accepted their lot in life with a grace that could only have been bestowed on them by Odin himself. Eobard could see why so many outcasts and runaways made their way to the Peaceable shores. They pretty much took in anyone.

And now they were going to take in him and his pirate comrades until the spring warmth thawed out the icy seas and Eobard could get back to hunting down that damned elusive Nightfury. He had waited for the tribal leaders and their bodyguards to depart for Berk and Stoick the Vast's wedding before launching his attack and as he suspected, it had been as easy as he had predicted.

"Lord Eobard!" Flail called out.

Turning his attention to his brutal first mate, Eobard watched with a satisfied smirk as the man deposited a woman on the ground at his feet. She was around thirty years old, had very attractive features with long brown hair and was dressed in regal grey robes, a black stone medallion in the shape of two ravens hanging around her neck.

"Ah! High Priestess Kari!" Eobard smoozed, his voice laced with fake pleasantness, "How nice to see you again!"

"Captain Blackbeard" Kari replied curtly as she stood up and dusted herself off, tilting her head back to look down her nose at the man she knew all too well "I assume we will playing host to you and your _'friends'_ for the foreseeable future?"

"You assume correct missy, me men be needing food, shelter and warmth! Do you intend to deny us?" Eobard replied

Kari sighed deeply. As high priestess in Odin's temple, Not only was she protected from the pirates desires by her high position but she was now responsible for the Peaceable Isles in the absence of their council of leaders. She had been through this dance before with previous raiders and even these particular pirates when Barbo had led them. Kari figured a change in leadership had occurred seeing it was Eobard calling the shots. She knew what to do and hoped this time would be as uneventful as all the others.

"No, we will not deny you, the Peaceable Isles are open to anyone who ask, that we all may share Odin's bounty" Kari intoned reverently despite every word sticking in her throat. With a bow Kari then turned and began the journey back to her temple.

"Have your men put out the fires and relocate to the raiders village in Plundar cove" Kari spoke over her shoulder, her voice laced authority and bitterness, "my people will be along to help you settle in and please …. do tell your fellow sea-water scum to keep their lustful hands to themselves!"

"Oh course my priestess! May Odin bless you for your Asgardian given wisdom and grace!" Eobard declared sarcastically with a deep mocking bow.

"Shall I call the men back my lord?" Flail asked as he stood beside Eobard to stare at the attractive yet retreating figure of Kari. Eobard smirked wickedly.

"Not yet, let some of them have their fun!" the Pirate Lord chuckled cruelly to see Flail nod in agreement. If there was one thing they knew, it was they had to keep their crews of cut-throats satisfied. And if it meant letting them indulge themselves in a bit of wanton destruction and depravity then so be it.

"Have some start working on the fires! You and I have some unfinished business with the Celts!" Eobard rumbled enthusiastically. He finally had time to remove another potential rival to his command now that everyone had come ashore. Gathering a few more followers, the two men set off amongst the buildings to find the subject of their quarry.

* * *

 _ **(Elsewhere, same time, in the streets Haven**_ **)**

"Father! There's someone under here!"

Eret, son of Carrick, turned to the partially collapsed building where his son was calling to him from a gap in the stonework.

The other pirates had fled the scene after the structure came down, abandoning it in favour of more exciting pickings. Indeed this was the quietest part of town, the main focus of the raid being centred close to the temple of Odin and the Great Hall where most of the other villagers had taken refuge. It had been no mistake that the seasoned captain had chosen to focus his crew on this area. There was less chance of Eobard catching them and by the time the Pirate Lord did find out what had happened, Eret son of Carrick, his son and his crew would be far away from here and free of the murderous lunatic pirate.

Time was life now and Eret didn't want to linger much longer. His ship already had been loaded with supplies and the last treasures they could find were on their way. Striding quickly over to where his son still stood, Eret son of Carrick looked into the gloomy interior of the broken home, illuminated only by the torch he held in his hand. Straining his eyes he finally picked out who his son was talking about.

There, hidden in the shadowy gloom, clutching on to the last pillar holding up what was left of the building was a girl. She was an insanely pretty young thing with beautiful alabaster skin, rich raven dark hair and a pair of green eyes that would rival any emerald on Midgard. She was covered in dirt and dust and was visibly shaking, her aforementioned eyes wide with terror.

"We have to get her out of there dad!" Eret's son urged "That pillar won't hold much longer!"

"Leave me alone pirate scum!" came a hissed voice from the girl in the building, "You ... killed my parents! ... I'd rather die than let you help me!"

Eret son of Carrick didn't have time for this. Eobard would surely be on his way by now, swords sharpened, ready to butcher him and all on his ship, his own son included. Kneeling down and sticking his head into the gap as far as his large frame would allow, he tried to look and sound as non-threatening as possible, difficult as it was with the savage Celtic tattoos that adorned his face.

"Child, listen to me. Have you any family here? Are you a native?"

The girl shook her head.

"Are you protected by someone in power or wealth?"

Again the girl shook her head.

Eret son of Carrick cursed to himself knowing now he had no choice in what he said next. His time now nearly up by Eobard's suspected proximity and the deep groaning coming from the pillar the girl still clung to, indicating that if the Pirate Lord didn't kill them all, this rapidly failing building would.

"I've seen your kind before child!" Eret son of Carrick hurriedly explained, his own voice shaking as he slowly extended his muscular hand toward the frightened girl "You are young and beautiful but you have no protection. Believe me when I say, there are men far worse than us coming this way. If you value your life or your virtue, you will take my hand and come with us right now!"

The green eyed girl shrunk back at Eret's arm coming close to her and at the implications of his words.

"Father!" Eret's son whispered urgently gesturing to a growing band of pirates bearing torches approaching their quarter of the town.

"Shit!" Eret son of Carrick cursed through his teeth and snapped his head back to the shivering young woman. "What's your name girl?" the man asked.

"H …. Hea ….Heather …" came the panicked reply at Eret's more urgent tone.

"Heather, my crew and I are leaving this Island right now because our leader wants us dead. If they find us here we will die, if they find you here, you will die, but only after suffering terribly at their hands!"

Still Heather didn't move. Eret figured she was immovable with suspicion and paralysed by fear. He understood that. They were pirates after all. No doubt this was some trick to enslave her, despite the fact that Eret son of Carrick never participated in the depravity Eobard and his ilk seemed to revel in. However on a dark night with the screams of suffering the air and homes burning, it would be hard to convince anyone they were not monsters. Quickly unsheathing a dagger from his belt, Eret son of Carrick held it out, handle first toward her. He had no more time. Loathe as he was to leave this girl, he was not going to risk his family's lives for someone he didn't know. Still he wouldn't abandon her without a fighting chance.

"Here, take this!" the captain urged firmly as he flicked the dagger to land by Heather's huddled form, "There's no time left. If anyone tries anything you can use this to protect yourself! Eret! Let's go!"

Both men shuffled out of the gap and back into the street, silently signalling to the last of their fellow Celts it was time to go. Eret looked toward his son as they strode off quickly side by side, noting the downcast, disappointed look on his son's face.

"We did all we could for her Eret" the older man said "We can't cast aside months of planning for this!"

"Wait!" a strong female voice called out to them, stopping both Erets in their tracks. Turning back they saw Heather standing in front of the building, the older Eret's dagger clutched firmly in both her quaking hands against her chest. Her black hair framed face, still looked haunted and the wind made her tattered clothing flutter gently, giving her a ghostly aura in the moonlight. Seeing her fully now, both men knew for certain this stunning little beauty would not have escaped Eobard's notice and therefore would not have stood a chance against his predations.

"Come with us if you want to live!" Eret son of Carrick spoke firmly. At the command Heather took a shaky step forward and nearly collapsed, letting out a squeak of pain. She expected to hit the hard ground but instead felt herself being encased in a soft pair of muscled arms. Her eyes locked onto the elder Eret's now softer and caring face and she dared letting a small smile of gratitude bend her lips upward.

"Twisted ankle father!" the younger Eret said, gently checking the state of Heather's injury. The girl took the chance to finally look at the younger of the two Erets properly in the torchlight. Like his father the Celt was powerfully built for his age, heaving shoulder and arm muscles nearly bursting out of his woollen vest. His hair was dark like his fathers, but instead of hanging loose was pulled back into a ponytail. His face shared the elder man's warm brown eyes though it lacked the complex Celtic knot tattoos, being contained to 5 vertical stripes down his chin. Only a fool would miss their family resemblance.

"Hold on Heather, we are leaving, quickly." The elder Eret said and the girl felt his arms around her tighten as both men broke into a run to catch up with their fellow Celts. Heather still clutched the knife closely to her chest. She wouldn't let anyone take it from her. As they ran, the sound of men clamouring in the distance and shouts of rage filled the air. Snatching a glance back she saw her home finally collapse in a shower of dust and debris alongside the large shape of Eobard Blackbeard waving his sword at her and screaming Eret's name.

Everything was a blur after that. The town she had grown up in for years raced past her in a surreal procession of ghostly flashes. She saw the bakery where she had been sent to buy bread for her family's breakfast, she saw the fishmonger's stall over-turned and reduced to cinders where she had been playing with the other Peaceable teens only that afternoon, she saw the docks where she loved to jump into the sea during the long hot summers, laughing like she had not a care in the world.

And she had been in all of these places only a handful of hours ago! When peace reigned on the Peaceable Isle. She had always escaped the raids before. But not this time. This time they had reached out and were literally ripping her away from all she knew. It was perverse how fast the world had changed and all these beloved places were now nothing but ghosts to haunt her memories.

As the enormity of it all finally began to sink in and tears were streaming down her cheeks, she realised, both Erets had boarded their ship and she had been set down on oaken chest bearing the Peaceable Tribe crest. Obviously plunder these pirates had collected.

"Right lads! Let's get out of here! I want to be past the Serpent 's Straits by daybreak!" Eret son of Carrick shouted, prompting a fresh surge of activity on deck with every man attending to his duty and that of his fellows.

In moments the ship was under-way.

"ERET! GET BACK HERE YOU TRAITOROUS DOG!" Eobard's cruel voice cut through the air along with several arrows and spears aimed at the rapidly departing vessel. Heather ducked, despite being safely sheltered by the shields that lined the sides of the vessel.

"NOT LIKELY EO!" Eret the Elder hollered back jovially, using a rope from the mast to lean out over the ship railing into full view, "CONSIDER THIS OUR RESIGNATION MY LORD, ENJOY HUNTING DOWN YOUR NIGHTFURY!"

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!" Eobard screamed, his face fiery red with rage and embarrassment at being mocked so by the Celtish captain.

"I THINK YOU HAVE MORE PRESSING MATTERS TO ATTEND TO! TA TA DARLING! " Eret called back as he stepped down from the railing and signalled to Dreamgarr son of Kathul, his first-mate, who already had his bow with a flaming arrow knocked, ready to execute the final phase of their escape plan.

On the docks Eobard was just about to order a full pursuit but froze when he saw a solitary flaming arrow streak away from the deck of Eret son of Carrick's ship. The arrow was not fired at him so Eobard quickly shifted his gaze to calculate the arrow's course. His eyes widened in horror when he finally noticed that the arrow was heading straight for his very own flagship that was moored across the harbour. At first Eobard thought the single arrow would do little damage and the guards on his ship would have no problems putting it out. However his hope was short lived as, when the arrow found it's mark, a massive swathe of flame sprung up and engulfed the entire rear end of the boat. Eobard had seen that trick before. No doubt someone had snuck aboard while they were busy raiding and doused the boat in oil to speed the fire along and make this diversion even more noticeable.

 _'But why?'_

And that was when Eobard realised. The arrow had struck right above his private quarters, which contained all of his precious Dragon memorabilia and Nightfury collection!

"TO THE SHIP!" Eobard screamed in pitch so high no-one had ever heard anything like it, "We have to save my collection!"

"But what about them Celts?!" Flail asked only to be decked in the head with a sword hilt.

"They don't matter ya fool!" Eobard screamed again, his eyes afire with a rage that matched the inferno now growing on his ship, "We have to stop that fire destroying our only chance of finding the Nightfury! Come on lads get going or I'll whip you back to your mother's skirts!"

Without wasting any more time Eobard and his men sprinted toward the pier where the flagship was moored, grabbing buckets and pitchers of water as they went. All worked feverishly out of fear. Eobard in fear of losing his life's work and his men out of fear of losing their lives .

As the pirates began their fire fighting in earnest, the night was broken by the jovial, relieved laughing of Eret son of Carrick and his crew.

"Don't you worry lads!" the captain cheered, "By the time Eobard puts that fire out, and settled his crews for winter, the sea will have frozen the harbour shut and we'll be long gone with open oceans , filled coffers and swollen hearts!"

"Huzzah!" the crew collectively cried.

"Hoist our true colours, throw off any of Eobard's crests and get the ship's real name back on display!"

Again a cry of genuine joviality went up and Eret turned his attention to his newest crew member, the striking female still sitting on the chest now huddled up in one his sons heavy ram's wool cloaks and her right ankle in a tight bandage one of the healers must have applied while he wasn't looking. He came to stand in front of her and waited until she raised her eyes to meet his. They were full of despair, fear, uncertainty, anger and loneliness. When he spoke, again his words were warm, unlike the encroaching night.

"Believe it or not, Heather …. I know how you feel." The girls eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief causing Eret and his son to chuckle slightly "You are not the only one to have everything taken away from you, to have your life snatched from all that you know and forced into something you do not want. Everyone on this ship knows that pain ….. knows that loss ….. yet now we are free to plot a new course in life ….. and so are you!"

"What ….. what … are you going to do to me?" Heather muttered, the fear of a ship full of salty seadogs making her worry she had just escaped one den of monsters, only to fall into another.

"Right now …. Nothing!" Eret replied, fully understanding the girls paranoia yet adopting his typical air of being a business like captain "You're part of the crew now … so that means no-one here will lay a hand on you ….. unless you provoke them. I may have saved you but I've no patience for idle hands! You're gonna have earn you're keep and pay your way! The cook needs help in the galley, we'll put you to work there! You can cook, can't ya?

Heather nodded eagerly, glad that she could be of some use to avoid the man's ire if it ever arose.

"AH Good!" Captain Eret hummed warmly as he paced back and forth, owning his space on the deck, his eyes never once losing sight of her, " You'll stay with us while we lay low somewhere over the winter and then come spring you can go wherever you feel like with whatever plunder you gain along the way! Hell, I'll even pay for a boat to bring you back to the Peaceable Isle if that's what you wish!"

"Why? …. Uh why would you do that?" Heather asked, completely bewildered by the generosity of the man's offer, contrasted by his scary face and bloody profession. Eret son of Carrick smirked.

"Because my dear ….. we were not always pirates and we will no longer live under that yoke! Isn't that right lads?!" The captain declared as he walked amongst his fellows exchanging humorous glances and warm handshakes, Heather now shakily limping after him, leaning on the arm his son had offered in support, "We live for the sea and the freedom she gives us! We stand as brothers and sisters of the wind and tide! Broachers of the horizon and masters of the wave! Sail with me into the dark my lads! ….. We will hold for no-one! ….We will go where no-one goes! ….. and all by the strength of our hands and the sweat of our brows!...

…No longer are we the crew of _The Blackbeard's Wrath_ , We are once again the crew of _**The Free-runner**_!"

A chorus of 'Aye's' and 'Yay's' rippled through the assembly of men at the captain's stirring words and Heather felt herself be lifted slightly by the words of a man who seemed to genuinely be her saviour. And yet there was more. Despite losing all she had, the prospect of a new adventure with new associates seemed thrilling. She would see more of the world, satiate her gods-given wanderlust and possibly even discover where she truly came from. This could be the very life changing opportunity she had prayed to Odin for.

"Whoah! Captain! You best take a look at this! Hurry!"

Heather was snapped from her thoughts by Dreammgarr's urgent words and both Erets rushing to where several men were huddled around something. Gripping the shoulders of men to lever her way forward Heather hobbled as best she could through the throng to see what was going on; Heather saw they were all looking through a large open hatch in the deck that led to the ship's expansive cargo hold. Like the other crewmen, Heather gasped when she saw it.

Lying in the middle of the cargo hold, flat on his back in a pool of blood, an arrow knocked in his bow pointing upward at everyone and no-one was a young man, his eyes wide with fear like hers had been only minutes ago.

"Well soil my britches!" the elder Eret chuckled as he leaned in more, drawing the aim of the archer lying prostrate on the lower level, "Looks like we got ourselves a stowaway, and quite a valuable one at that! Good evening young master! What brings you to haunt the decks of my lowly craft?"

The man who was sporting a neat black goatee and had flashing blue eyes looked firmly up and opened his mouth to speak, his voice shaky yet clearly refined.

"I …. I …. I wish to join the crew ….. captain!"

A ripple of gasps tore through the onlookers causing Heather to arch her brow in confusion. Eret the elder caught the look but paid it no mind, his attention fixed fully on the man below.

"You do realise, _he'll_ think we kidnapped you and when he finds out that you joined us of your own accord, he'll probably kill you!" Eret spoke in that same authoritative captain's tone.

"He won't even care Eret! …. Not after giving me these!" the man moaned back pathetically shifting his arms slightly to reveal long cuts that had shredded his light tunic, resulting in nasty bleeding wounds that ran across his shoulders, down his back and even over his upper arms, "Our lord and master saw fit to … _discipline me_ ….. I knew you were going to attempt a mutiny so I hid here. It was my only chance to escape him! Please sir, don't send me back to him! Don't let him find me! Please!"

The young man's words were truly heartfelt and Heather felt her sympathy toward him grow. She looked up to see all the crew were staring at their captain who was now deep in thought. Whoever this man was, he must be very important to draw this level of silence from the once bombastic crewmen. And though Eret son of Carrick had saved her life, there was no guarantee he would do the same for this person who obviously should not be here, but like her, had nowhere else to go now. After a few minutes Eret lowered his gaze and spoke heavily.

"Dreamgarr, get the healer and see to those wounds, he'll need to heal quickly if he's going to work the harpoons!" at that everyone let out the collective breath they were holding, especially the young man amongst the cargo who let the tension out of the bow as his arms collapsed on to his chest groaning and growling in pain. Quickly the crew dispersed and Dreamgarr along with a woman Heather hadn't seen yet, appeared either side of the young man, helping him to sit up.

The two crew members were about to move the man away when Eret held up his hand at them. "Wait!" he declared halting them in their tracks and looking straight into Heather's emerald green eyes, "before you go, I'd say introductions are in order!"

Looking between the two young people Eret gestured to the new female member of his crew, "Heather, formerly of the Peaceable tribe! Meet Master Leo Leech!"

Heather's non-plussed look made Eret smirk and the young man's eyes widened in fear as Eret carried on with a far more serious tone.

"Also known as ….. Leo Blackbeard … son of the Pirate Lord Eobard Blackbeard!"

Heather digested the words while Eret and Leo watched many emotions play across her face until they settled on ... not hatred but firm, cold, disdain. She adopted the look like a mask and did not even care how much Leo looked hurt by it. It then occurred to all three that Heather was still holding Eret son of Carrick's dagger in her hands.

Seeing the implied condemnation inherent in his own name and resulting expression on Heather's face now, Leo's heart sank. He was about to speak in his defense but was dragged away into the shadows of the bowels of the ship by his less than gentle handlers, moaning and groaning in pain.

Leo's cries did little to move Heather's heart and without a further word, she hobbled toward the stairs that she guessed led to the kitchen on this boat. With any luck she would find another knife with which she could arm herself more and possibly, with enough time, find a way to plunge it into Leo Blackbeard's heart so that she might make him pay for the sins of his father.

"I get the feeling we just invited ourselves a whole lot of trouble on board this boat!" Eret son of Eret drawled as he came to stand beside his father. The older man simply smiled wryly back his son, "Eret my boy, I get the feeling, you just might be right!"

The two Erets began laughing together, savouring the warmth of their relationship, allowing it to chase away the chill of the dark night rising around them. With a fair wind and a clear, star filled night to navigate by, the ship now renamed as _The Free-Runner_ sliced through the calm ocean, not knowing the sheer scale of adventure that truly awaited her.

* * *

 **There we are guys!**

 **Some new faces and some familiar characters make their debut in ROTNF!**

 **had lots of fun writing this, especially with trailers for the new pirates of the Caribbean out right now. looks like a lot of fun.**

 **Figured this section was long enough to warrant it's very own chapter. the next chapter will introduce another OC who will have his own reasons for fleeing to the sea in the dead of night!**

 **Looking forward to it!**

 **Until next time guys!**

 _ **Be excellent to each other.**_

 **Razor95**


	40. The Jaws of Defeat Pt 4

**Greetings all!**

 **Here's a new chapter to introduce the last of our OC's. these guys may not be part of the main story for a while yet but it's good to give you a look at their origins. the strands of fate are hopefully going to weave an interesting journey for them. I actually quite enjoyed this chapter for some reason as it's nice to have someone with an ironclad outlook on life and clear motivations, even tho it takes the focus off our main characters for a bit.**

 **But do not fear! Our hapless Hiccup and some other familiar faces will appear in the next chapter so you can all revel in their new adventures. and seeing the chapter is the big 4 0. I'll be making sure it's an extra long bumper chapter with lots going on.**

 **As always I thank you guys for your continued support and I welcome any comment, questions or reviews.**

 **That being said lets meet someone new!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return Of The Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 39**

 **The Jaws of Defeat Pt. 4**

* * *

 _ **Last time**_

 _ **Hiccup had a vision, Toothless made a kill,**_

 _ **Camicazi is missing and Zyon escaped, w**_ _ **hile Eret, rescued Heather and Leo**_

 _ **There is still much to see.**_

 _ **Who will we meet this time?**_

 _ **Read on and find out!**_

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, across the Archipelago, same time, Frenetic Island)**_

Life was good for Drake Fraener.

The very rich and highly spoilt adopted son of the Frenetic merchant Krok Hatchetmann was currently in his element, languishing in his very comfortable bedroom bedecked with exotic furs, a steaming hot bath and a small bevy of giggling beautiful women. They were all lounging around, sipping expensive foreign wine from even more expensive golden goblets that had also been raided from a far-away land.

Life was in fact, very good for Drake Fraener

He had everything any man could want or dream of wanting. Money, power, women and the means to keep things that way.

"Ha ha ha! You should have seen the way the boy begged for his pitiful life!" Drake crooned, literally oozing charm as he retold his encounter from a few days past, making the women around him gush in admiration. "I mean I wasn't going to kill him obviously, but come on! A chief's son has to show a little bit of backbone when he challenges the world's greatest sword fighter and loses!"

"So what did you do?" one of the women asked. Drake didn't know her name. It wasn't important enough to him.

"Well I couldn't let him go without a little memento of our encounter," Drake lowered his voice and brought his hand to up and dragged his fingernail slowly over the arm of the closest woman, eliciting a thrilled gasp from her and the rest of his enthralled audience, "so I took my blade and sliced him across his shoulder! Not deep enough to kill but deep enough to scar him for the rest of his life!"

"You cut the chief's son?!" the woman he had touched asked worriedly, "Aren't you worried he'll take revenge on you?"

Drake simply looked her dead in the eye, with a dark predatory smirk on his lips, "Oh have no fear my dear, I made it quite clear that if he so much as breathed a word about who gave him that cut, the next thing I'd cut out would be his little lying tongue!"

He followed up this line by silencing the tongue of his female companion with his own as he roughly kissed her, drawing a moan of pleasure from her and the other women around him. After he broke the kiss, he leaned back on the bed, his look wistful and content.

"Indeed ladies, when young Coalbiter becomes Chief I think he'll be more than willing to give me that seat on the Council my so-called father keeps denying me. And in time, who knows? … If he challenges me again? Well …. you ladies might be lucky enough to be in the presence of your future Chief right now! Ha ha ha!"

"You need to be careful my lord!" a brunette woman who lounged furthest from him said cautiously when the others' sycophantic laughter died down, "the boy is only twelve and though he may fear you, there's still time for him to grow into a man of the sword or even have his father punish you for your misdeed … and your _treasonous desires!"_

The woman didn't know what had happened next, it occurred so fast.

One moment she had been relaxing with a goblet of wine in her hand, the next she was on her feet, pinned roughly against the wall, a strong hand locked tightly around her neck and the cruel face of Drake Freaner staring her down.

"That's enough out of you **WENCH!"** Drake growled showing his sharp looking teeth, "he may be a child still, but he was stupid enough to challenge me without thinking about the consequences, which he justly deserved. You're not that stupid are you? **ARE YOU?!"**

"N – n – nuh - No ….. no my lord!" the brunette woman choked out, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head, she was that close to passing out.

"Good!" Drake barked as he roughly released his victim, letting her sink to the floor in a fit of gasping and coughing. "Put your clothes back on and get the Hellheim out of here!" the man ordered coldly, "I have no time for weak willed women!"

All that was heard for the next few seconds was the whimpering of the woman as she scrambled about to gather up her clothing. Once she was gone, Drake seemed to visibly relax as he stepped back to his bed, a satisfied smirk in his face at effectively dealing with another challenger to his will, along with the guarantee that his remaining female guests wouldn't push him either. This night just kept getting better and better.

The party continued for a few more hours until wine and pleasurable company took their toll and Drake fell into a contented slumber, a beautiful woman wrapped around him on both sides.

It was about two hours before dawn when it happened.

" **DRAKE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"**

The screaming, irate voice of Krok roughly snapped the man from his dreams and Drake glared at him in the doorway he had brutally kicked in.

"What are you talking about old man?! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?!" Drake growled back harshly, not wanting to deal with whatever petty complaint his adoptive father had to bring up now. He'd long stopped listening to the man about having women in his room so whatever it was this time, he was equally ready to dismiss it until the morning.

"Haven't you heard?" Krok asked with a confused look on his face that got Drake to wake himself up a bit more. Something was going on and Drake could tell it might not be very good, but he wasn't going to let Krok see it.

"I've been kind of busy!" Drake crooned as he stroked the bare thigh of one of the terrified woman that was now clinging to him since the moment his 'father' burst into the room.

"Stupid boy!" Krok shouted "The chief's son is dead!"

Drake's eyes widened as Krok's words hit him like Thor's hammer. Seeing he now had his adoptive son's full attention, Krok continued in the gravest tone Drake had ever heard.

"The wound you gave him got infected, he passed on to Valhalla about half an hour ago. Sylvie Hervsdottir told the chief that you were one who cut him after you bragged about it!"

Damn. That was the name of the girl he had threatened earlier. Obviously she had ratted him out to the Chief. Drake made a mental note to silence her permanently at some point in the future. Still he kept his gaze fixed firmly on his father who was now thrashing about the room picking up his clothes, money, valuables, a travelling pack, his armour and flinging them on the bed.

"The chief is devastated!" Krok stated angrily as he unclipped a pouch of coins and tossed them on the bed, "he's coming for you and when he gets here, I won't be able to stop him!"

"But I didn't know he'd die father, no-one told me, you've got to protect me!" Drake urged with a pleading starting to creep into his eyes.

Krok stopped piling supplies at the end of the bed and moved back to the doorway, his eyes never leaving his face, "I'm sorry, but I can't protect you anymore ….. I won't protect you ….. not this time …. You went too far!"

"Father?" Drake asked worriedly, seeing exactly where his words were leading.

"No Drake!" Krok interrupted forcefully, "I'm no longer your father …. Adoptive or otherwise ….. and you … are not my son."

Though Drake and Krok hadn't had the most loving relationship, they still held respect for one another. Drake knew that the Merchant had tried his damnedest to make the boy happy, pandering to his every whim, having him trained by the finest fighters on the Frenetic Isle and only being firm when he had to, though Drake never gave him an easy time of things. Krok's face showed anger, disappointment, pity and only a small margin of sympathy for the greedy and foolish man-child he and his wife had tried to raise as best they could in the vain hope of continuing their family line. Both seemed to be disappointed and heart-broken by Drake's sudden disownment.

A chill breeze highlighted Drake's new status, made all the more clear when he realised the two naked women that had been at his sides only moments ago had somehow gathered their belongings and slipped from the room without him even noticing.

Drake took a long last pleading look at Krok who took another step back into the shadows of the hallway.

"I'll try and talk to the chief" the aged and disappointed voice rumbled out " ….. I might be able to buy you five minutes … when I come back into this room, you had best be gone … never come back! …. You brought this on yourself Drake … You … you are dead to me!"

At Krok's final venom laced words, Drake jumped to his feet to shout back something. Something cocky and belligerent maybe, something challenging to the chief's authority perhaps, something calm to show how little he was worried possibly? But in the end not a word came from the usually brash, talkative man's mouth, the heavy silence in the room stifling his every thought, the weight of his crime and punishment beginning to rest heavily on his bare shoulders.

The faint sound of approaching villagers broke Drake from his stupor and he dashed to the window and peaked out the shutters to the source of growing light and noise. The sight he saw killed the last of his warmth and nearly stopped his heart.

Coming down the street at an even pace was a crowd of Vikings. An ever growing crowd as new people joined, stepping out their homes as it passed their doors, bringing more sound and more torchlights. And they were heading straight towards Drake's house. At first Drake figured he could reason with this procession …. this ….. No! … This wasn't a procession or guard to bring him to trial … This was a LYNCH MOB! The verdict had already been decided as Drake's eyes finally fell on who was leading this crowd of Vikings

Walking at an unnervingly slow pace was the huge frame of Bork 'the cleaver' Krakenson, Chief of the Frenetics, his massive hands gripping tightly to his signature twin broadswords that were the source of his nickname. Each sword on their own would have been difficult to use with both hands but to a literal mountain of a man that was Bork, they were like daggers. Drake had seen first-hand the sheer devastating effect with which Bork wielded them and though Drake himself was an excellent swordsman, he knew he could not hold a candle to his chieftain, especially since the man was now driven by rage, grief and vengeance.

Across the long distance Drake thought he saw the chief stare right at him and that was enough for him to dart back into the room and begin desperately packing his disparate possessions. In those panic fuelled moments it seemed as if everything was working against him. Clothes and objects wouldn't allow themselves to stuffed into his bag, his boots insisted on going on the wrong feet, belt buckles would not clasp shut securely and his swords had chosen this moment to vanish to the most awkward nooks and crannies of his room.

Drake's heart pounded and sweat poured down his face and it was with barely supressed relief he managed to gather everything he thought he would need and dashed from his bedroom, aiming for the window at the back of the house. Throwing up the shutter, Drake pounced out the first story window, landed with an ungraceful thump before picking himself up and sprinting the long way round to the docks and the only chance he had of escape.

"Thor help me!" Drake whispered angrily to himself as he neared the docks and ducked behind a crate at the sight that greeted his eyes. Apparently the chief had had the foresight to have the boats guarded, anticipating the possible flight of his son's killer. However Drake noted that these were men he had sparred with and defeated before.

This wasn't going to be as hard as he thought Drake mused as he unsheathed his swords.

" _ **SNICHKT! SNICHKT!"**_

"Wait, what was that?" the guard asked his fellow.

" _ **THUD THUD THUD THUD …. SWISH, SWOOSH ….. CLANG, CLANG …. URGH! ARGH! …. THUD! THUD!"**_

The fight was over before it even really began. Despite one guard hearing his approach, Drake had dashed forward, leapt into the air, disarmed his startled opponents and sliced them across their throats, letting them fall to the docks like clumsy bags of flesh.

"He's over there!", a distant voice made Drake snap his head to the right. The thudding of boots and the clanking of armour had Drake running again, heading for where he knew the smaller of his father's boats were moored. Small enough to sail by himself, yet big enough to be comfortable. Drake growled as more guards stepped in his way. More bodies to add to his kill count.

And they were.

Despite the guards extensive training and their high quality weapons, they were no match for Drakes agility and precision as he ducked and weaved around them, slicing and stabbing his way past, leaving dead or dying of Frenetics in his wake. Still more guards appeared, leaving their posts as the clamour of battle grew louder. And still more fell as they got closer to Drake's blades. After a few more limbs and heads fell to the slippery decking, Drakes opponents became more wary, giving the man a chance to increase his margin of escape. It only took a few minutes for him to reach his ship and he cut away the mooring ropes with his left hand while fighting off the last guard foolish enough to engage him with his right. Thankfully the man he was fighting hadn't minded his surroundings, having one foot on the boat railing and one on the dock and so he had to stop fighting to watch his balance as the gap between the ship, the land and his legs widened.

Drake snickered as the man fell screaming and cursing into the frigid water trying to keep himself afloat and tightly gripping the deep gash Drake had cut on his thigh. The man would probably live if he survived drowning in the water and he didn't bleed to death on the dockside. At the end of the day Drake didn't really care.

A stiff wind began to blow across the harbour and Drake opened up the sails as it carried him to the safety of the open ocean.

The docks were now silent, save for the groans of the wounded and Drake heaved a huge sigh of relief. By the time Chief Bork got there he would be long gone and safe somewhere far away from here. Drake knew winter was coming and he already had to dodge past some smaller blocks of newly formed sea-ice to ensure his escape. He would find a port, lay low and then with a new identity, disappear forever.

The sound of the ocean lapping against the hull of his ship and still night allowed Drake to finally calm down and take stock of his situation. He was now an outcast from his home. No. he wasn't an Outcast. He had been _Cast Out!_ Betrayed, not given the chance to explain or defend himself. He didn't mean to kill the boy. It was just some harmless fun. If anything it was the Coalbiter's fault for challenging him. He was defending his honour. The Chief's son should have known better. The Chief should have taught his son better. Not come after him on some misguided mission of lawful vengeance! There was nothing lawful about it.

And what had his father done?! Told him to get out, leave, never come back, that he was dead to him. Drake would never inherit his family fortune now. He would never have a seat on the council. He would never have what he deserved. Krok was probably over the moon that he had his fortune all to himself now. Selfish old man!

Anger and hate began to boil in his heart. No he would not run and he would not hide. He would not leave his archipelago and disappear forever.

In the silent night, Drake vowed that one day he would return to the Frenetic tribe and take from them what he had been denied, he would obtain the means to show everyone just how unwise it was to cross him. Yes he would take everything that he was entitled to, take what he deserved and someday he knew everyone on the Frenetic Isle would bow and praise Drake Freaner!

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **A short sharp intro to another new player. He will be encountering the other characters further down the line and I hope it proves to be entertaining!**

 **Next update may not be for a while as I am experiencing internet difficulties but I try will my best to have something for you next sunday.**

 **As always comments reviews and questions are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **Until next time**

 **Be excellent to each other!**

 **Razor95**


	41. Snatching Victory PT1

**Greetings all!**

 **Well here we are at chapter 40! It's been a pretty mad ride so far and I've enjoyed every minute of it.**

 **Now I know I said I was going to post a big bumper chapter for this milestone but things changed on me to the point where I had so much material posting it all in one go would have been far too difficult. So I've decided to start a new mini-arc to counterpoint 'jaws of defeat' arc.**

 **With 'jaws of defeat' we travelled all over the archipelago and met some new people. This time we will be returning to the Vikings and we will get to see what's going on there. It's funny that this instalment turned out the way it did as it wraps back around to the first chapters of this story in that we see the same event from two different perspectives. I know some folks weren't keen on that idea but I'm hoping the insight you get will balance that out, especially since one of them has been the subject of some intense debate recently.**

 **Either way I hope you enjoy this little opening prelude to an arc which should have some nice reveals, some feels and some action.**

 **Good luck and happy reading!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 40**

 **Snatching Victory Pt1**

 **Last time**

 **Hiccup had a vision, Toothless made a kill, - Camicazi is missing and Zyon escaped.**

 **While Eret, rescued Heather and Leo, a newcomer named Drake fled his home.**

 **And The Red Death sent her dragons on a mission!**

 **There is still much to see.**

 **This time we return to some familiar faces.**

 **What has been happening to characters not seen in a while?**

 **Read on and find out!**

* * *

For this section please apply the following key if it's not clear in itself:

Thoughts inside the head / General narration and speech

" _ **What the mind wants to say"**_

"What is actually being said"

 _ **(Meanwhile, across the Archipelago, same time, Berk Island)**_

" _ **What?..."**_

0

0

0

0

" _ **What is this? …."**_

0

0

0

0

0

0

" _ **What is this ….. please? …"**_

Once again my eyes take in a world I have known all my life. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the emotions. Yet for all I can see and feel, everything seems just out of reach somehow, like I'm stuck underwater, unable to reach out and breathe clear refreshing air.

0

0

0

0

0

" _ **This isn't right! … What's going on? …."**_

There are people around me.

There have always been people around me. Speaking words of pride, words of strength, filling me with their expectations, placing their hopes and dreams on my shoulders and telling me not to fail them. I swore I would not fail them. As I grew I saw them watch me. They knew they had raised me well. Others crowded around to share in my glory, thinking themselves my equal when they are just shallow hangers on. They did not see. They did not understand. I did not understand.

Now I understand

Soon they all will understand.

Now things are different

I see them look at me now, speak to me, usher me around. They act as if I don't realise what's going on. Like I'm not of this world anymore or ever was in the first place.

0

0

0

" _ **It's me you muttonheads! Why are you always staring at me like that?!"**_

I know them, they know me.

" _ **Answer me …. Please … please?"**_

And yet there is something between us. A barrier of some sort. It stops me from moving freely or talking, stops me from telling them what I want to tell them. What I need to tell them.

0

0

0

" **Why … aren't … you … listening?!"**

I scream making my parents and the other onlookers recoil in horror, pity and disgust.

0

0

0

Why do they look at me like that? Is there something wrong with me? What is it? Why do they reach out their hands to try and calm me like I'm some wild beast? To many times this has happened and I find myself hiding away or being held down until fatigue and sleep overcome me. My body feels like it's no longer my own.

But not even sleep gives me comfort anymore. Always at night I see bright green eyes staring at me in the dark. Everywhere I turn in my nightmares, in the small shadows of daylight, all I see are green eyes as numerous as the stars in the night sky! Eyes that pierce me like knives!

" _ **Bright eyes! Burning me like fire!"**_

We are in the Great Hall right now. Something is happening. I don't know what. A harsh voice calls in the distance. Still my parents stare at me. I ask them again what is going on, but listen closely for the sound of my own voice. At first it is nothing more than a distorted muffle. When did things become this way? I have to try harder. I've always mastered any task set to me and let nothing or no-one get in my way. As I push harder I concentrate on the feel of my lips moving and I finally hear the sound my throat makes repeating the last four words I said.

"Hiccup …. Nightfury ….. Gone … Back!"

0

0

0

0

0

" _ **NO! ….. Not him again …. Don't let him hurt me anymore! … Why is it always him?!"**_

Firm but gentle hands grip my shoulders. Mother and father try to guide me out of the hall, away from the suspicious and pitying looks the others throw at me.

" _ **Not again! … Let me out! …. Let me speak! …. Can't get out! … let me out …. Please!"**_

I listen to my voice again knowing this time I will be understood.

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

" _ **NO! no no no no no no! ….. Trapped, trapped trapped …. no way out! ….. Prison of flesh and bone! … bound by bandages keeping me contained …. LET ME OUT! …. Mama! Papa! ….. Someone!? ….. ANYONE!"**_

"HICCUP … NIGHTFURY …. GONE …. BACK! …. HICCUP …. NIGHTFURY ….. GONE ….. BACK! … HICCUP …. NIGHTFURY ….. GONE ….. BACK!"

Father tries to hush me and I'm being pushed faster through the hall, towards the huge doors, the harsh voice getting louder and angrier. Already I know I'll be drugged to sleep tonight to keep me under control. That's when the green eyes will come back to get me! I have to tell them! I struggle and fight against their hold.

They need to listen to me!

They need to understand!

" **Can't you hear me? … I'm sorry ok!? ….. IM SO SORRY! ….. I didn't mean it! ….. don't let the green eyes get me again!"**

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

0

0

0

Faces rush past me. They blur into each other, their eyes locked on me now. They all morph into having the same colour of eyes that haunt me. Emerald green eyes that always flash before me. Eyes that I fear.

Wait! Since when did I fear anything? Or anyone?

It wasn't always like this. I remember a time when ….. a time when ….a time ….. I …. A time when I strode through this village justly proud and strong. Nothing and no-one would stop me from accomplishing my goals and Gods amongst men watched over me.

" _ **Uncle Finn? Are you there?! …. Why did you leave me? ….. Why did you have to let the Flightmare kill you? Why did you let it? Why did you freeze and bring disgrace upon me and my parents? We could have become the most powerful and respected clan on Berk, just like you said we would!"**_

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back! … Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

" _ **It's all wrong! …. This shouldn't be! ….. I am meant to be fearless! … I will not stay in ….. this prison ….. any longer! … It wasn't my fault … it wasn't your fault!"**_

Where was the chief? He should have fought that Flightmare instead of you!

He should have died in your place.

The Vikings I know start muttering amongst themselves. I know it's about me!

" _ **I miss you so much uncle Finn ….. I'm ….. I'm scared! ….. I remember you used to sing to me …. Will you sing to me again and drive away these damned voices I keep hearing?!"**_

0

0

0

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

" _ **Hiccup! …. ARRRRRGGGHHHHH! … Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!"**_

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back! …. Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back! …. Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

He's always there.

Always has been!

Watching from the Chief's house ….. Watching from the forge … Always watching …. Always hiding ….. Always protected …. Always cowering when he should be out fighting!

I'll teach him to hide away while the rest of us risk our lives! And for what?!

So he can one day sit on Berk's throne, a hollow chief, a coward king! He never even says anything of worth, nothing but stuttering sentiment, sarcastic quips or silent pity pouring from those sickly green eyes of his!

How can one weak Viking have such a favourable life while we, the ones who fight the hardest, are punished the most?

If the gods or his own father will not punish him for his short-comings, then I will!

I will ensure he does not think he is untouchable just because he was lucky enough to be born the Chief's son.

He mopes around begging for pity with his sad looks and hunched shoulders. He spends his time pounding iron in the forge risking nothing while the rest of us risk everything. And he feels he has the right to feel wronged?! The world has no time for those incapable of standing up and fighting for what they want. I will fight and I will take what I want. It will be mine. It has to be mine

" **Mine mine mine! …. All the glory! …. All the respect! … All the fear! … All the power to control my life! ….without it I am nothing!"**

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

The adults say I'm just an overzealous child. I will show them what a child can do. I will win dragon training, I will earn their respect and win back the honour my family has lost. No one will stop me!

Not the dragons, that stupid pig Snotlout, those muttonheads the twins or that fat wreck Fishlegs!

They will learn that I am not to be underestimated.

Hiccup will bear that burden seeing he carries nothing else but the trappings of his future chiefdom. He will not win dragon training, he will learn where his place truly is, not wasting his time tinkering and destroying half the village with his unholy contraptions, but at my feet begging for my approval so that I in turn will show him what it means to be a true Viking!

0

0

0

0

"… _ **..wait …. This isn't right …. These thoughts …. They are from ….. before ….. from before the Nightfury …. Before the wailing and the gnashing of teeth! …. not from ….. now …. Before there was order … before I meant something ….. why won't anyone let me be something?!"**_

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back!"

Still my voice is trapped in that horrible cycle! Going round and around and around.

I'm at the Great Hall doors now scrabbling and shoving to be released. The bandages are still wrapped tightly around me covering my scars and wounds. They trap me in my body when all I want to be is free! There is nothing to hold on to now save the cool night air that blows gently around me and my parents begging me to stay silent. I am lifted off the ground and turned homeward. I see village as if for the first time.

From the doors of the Great Hall I have a perfect view of the ocean! The great sea that surrounds my home is peaceful and still, the moon casting a beautiful distorted pillar of moonlight over the gently rolling waters. It looks like a beautiful ghostly bridge has been laid out, welcoming me to travel across the mysterious waves to whatever realm I desire.

A realm where I am strong, a realm where I am beautiful, a realm where I am fearless, a realm where I …..

" … _ **.. wait what is that sound? ….. are those? ….. but they can't ….. can they? ….. am I truly hearing this? … they sound like?! … no ….. Gods no! …. That can't be right …. But it is! ….. They are coming!"**_

"D – d – drrr …"

I am put down. My parents stare wide-eyed with expectation. They try to look at me but my gaze is pulled back out to the deathly dark night sky. Before I know it, I'm pointing to the sky.

"D – d – dra …. Duhrahg! … un ….. Drag – n –n –n … DRAGONS!"

" _ **Yes! …. That's it! ….I'm coming back! and nothing will stop me this time!"**_

"DRAGONS!"

" _ **I NEED TO TELL EVERYONE!"**_

"I NEED TO TELL EVERYONE!"

Yes! The barrier is broken, I'm back!

"what is it dear? What do you mean?" My father asks, stupefied that I am finally talking again.

" **Don't you hear them? Dragons are coming! … It's a dragon raid!"**

"Don't you hear them? Dragons are coming?! … It's a dragon raid!"

"What?" my mother questions looking to the sky as clueless as my father.

I growl in frustration and using their distraction to my advantage, tear myself from their grip, snatching their swords from their belts. I don't need my axe anymore. Hiccup made my axe. Disgusting! I'll never wield an axe again! I charge back into the Great Hall to alert my fellow tribesmen.

Yes! I will be the one to warn my people! I will be the one to save them!

I burst through the doors, brandish my swords and scream at the top of my lungs

"DRAGONS! … DRAGON RAID! …. THE DRAGONS ARE COMING! ….. THE DRAGONS ARE COMING!"

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, same time, Berk Island, Stoick's P.O.V.)**_

"Hiccup … Nightfury … Gone ….. Back"

"urgh! Baldur! Would you mind taking that …. _Child_ …. Of yours home?! I've got a big enough headache without having to listen to her mutterings again!"

Stoick the Vast didn't care if he sounded completely unsympathetic toward the injured girl as her parents dutifully began to usher her away. Why he still allowed the Hofferson clan to have their ancestral table close to his at the head of the Great Hall wasn't important until now. With a wedding and a war to plan for, such a matter seemed trivial and petty, but right now Stoick wished he had dealt with it sooner. In time he most certainly would.

Things had been stressful enough planning his own wedding in about a week's time as well as listening to ideas about Berk's future defence from every idiot who foolishly believed themselves an expert on the matter. Ideas that ranged from the weird such as digging a subterranean cavern so big that Berk could become a vast underground city, to the downright ludicrous flights of fancy like stretching a huge rope-net over the village to keep the dragons out. Despite it possibly working, the 'caves' idea was completely impractical and would take another hundred years to pull off, while the second (though Stoick at first thought it was a good idea) was dismissed as Gobber pointed out that the fire-breathing beasts could easily burn their way through the netting.

The constant stream of unfiltered thoughts and genuinely stupid ideas was making the chief beyond irritable and so the last thing Stoick wanted to be reminded of was that foolish angry girl, who he believed was the catalyst to land them all in this horrible mess. The girl who had basically fooled everyone into thinking she was the best of the next generation but with others had driven his Hiccup into the arms of their ancestral enemies.

"Apologies chief!" Baldur offered as he and Hilda urged Astrid on through the crowd, her mutterings growing in volume and intensity attracting the attention of the other Berkians who sat in the filled Meade Hall despite the late hour. Turning his attention back to the man he had been reluctantly listening to drone on, Stoick only half remembered what the decrepit old fool was harping on about. He wanted some money for an anti-dragon idea he had. Stoick remembered that much.

"Fine! Fine Mildew!..." Stoick said dismissively with a wave of his hand "….. I'll give you five silvers from the treasury and you can talk to Trader Johan the next time he sails into port! If that's everything I'd like to enjoy my Meade in peace!"

Despite Mildew grumbling at being dismissed, the most unpleasant man on Berk merely bowed his head and limped away, a wicked smile of triumph splitting his old cracked lips at getting the chief to at least try one of his ideas.

"I thought he'd never leave!" Gobber snarked from his seat beside the chief, causing a small smirk to play through Stoick's huge red beard. Neither man liked Mildew and Mildew had never shown any real amount of respect for either of them. Yet the stubborn old goat had his uses and having a hatred of dragons that possibly out-matched Stoick's was something the chief figured he could utilise to keep his people united against their common foe. Still, that didn't stop the ornery old man from being completely insufferable.

"If all it took was five silvers to stop Mildew from bothering me … I'd have dug my own silver mine years ago and paid him every day! He he he!"

Both men chuckled heartily at Stoick's comment before the chief picked up yet another parchment, listing the names of all of the chiefs they had invited. Over the past few days, messenger birds and envoys had begun arriving from all over the archipelago, carrying replies to his summons. It was a reassuring sight to see positive replies from all of his allies on paper and even more so from tribal leaders he either barely knew or hated with a passion. Soon they would all be under his roof and he looked forward to the challenge of convincing former enemies to join his ever-growing alliance. Still that didn't mean everything was going perfectly.

"Still no word from the Frenetics?" Stoick asked stroking is beard in thought.

"Fraid not Stoick ….." Gobber replied worriedly "….. nor the Irenics or the Murderous tribes. Bucket and Mulch should have been back by now after visiting them all. You don't think ….. something's happened to them?"

"Maybe" Stoick mused "they could have been blown off course in a storm or been attacked by dragons, Hel! Even Hiccup could have found them and blown them pieces!"

"Well let's not jump to conclusions eh Stoick?" Gobber countered, worried his old apprentice was being unfairly demonized more than necessary, "He may have a Nightfury but we can't blame every misfortune on Hiccup!"

"HICCUP … NIGHTFURY …. GONE …. BACK! …. HICCUP …. NIGHTFURY ….. GONE ….. BACK! … HICCUP …. NIGHTFURY ….. GONE ….. BACK!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF THOR BALDUR, I TOLD YOU TO GET THAT GIRL OUT OF HERE!" Stoick shouted snapping to his feet. Even across a crowded room their private talk of Hiccup seemed to have infected the Hofferson girl to a higher level of hysteria. The frightened and frantic nodding of the Hofferson parents forcing their struggling child out at a quicker pace pleased Stoick as he slumped back down into his chair.

"If Astrid keeps this up I'm going to have to banish her before her madness gets someone hurt or she humiliates us in front of the other tribes" The Vast man grumbled over the edge of his tankard as he chugged a few more mouthfuls of ale.

"That's a bit harsh wouldn't you say?" Gobber asked his eyes wide in shock "I mean look at the state of her, don't you think she's paid her debt?"

"Ha! I'd say those scars and banishment are the least she can suffer after tormenting Hiccup for so many years!" the chief scoffed in a harsh rasping whisper "If it hadn't been for her and those other kids, then maybe Hiccup would have grown up to be a proper Viking! … In fact, him taking revenge on Astrid ….. was probably the most Viking thing he ever did … before fleeing like a damned, traitorous, dragon-loving coward!"

"Vengeance was never Hiccup's style Stoick! You know that!" Gobber urged, heart-broken that the chief was only respecting the boy's freakish angry outburst before going straight back to hating him again, taking only minimal time to try and understand his son.

"Ha! Could have fooled me!" Stoick retorted bitterly, "He's not the Hiccup we knew anymore Gobber! He's become something far worse. Before he was just a nuisance that I could just about handle. But now? He's gone with that …. that Devil! Odin only knows what kind of corruption that black beast is working on him!"

"Who's to say?" Gobber replied forlornly, unable to properly voice his concern for his best friend or his surrogate son while he silently hoped both would find peace with themselves and …. If the gods willed it ….. each other. It was Spitelout's arrival at the chief's table that broke both men from their morose thoughts.

"Final preparations for the visiting tribes are completed brother!" the chief's scruffy second in command declared curtly, "we've got temporary homes built on the upper levels below Thor's point and enough open ground for whatever extra tents or people they bring with them!"

"Excellent work Spitelout." Stoick replied cheerily before his greens narrowed and his demeanour darkened, "Has that _boy_ of yours been behaving himself?"

Spitelout visibly blanched at the question and Stoick noticed the cape draped across his brother's shoulders ripple slightly. As if someone was hiding behind him.

"let me see you _boy_!" Stoick growled.

At the command, the stocky black haired form of Snotlout stepped sheepishly out to stand beside his father.

Stoick noticed with grim satisfaction that the black eye he had given Snotlout when he struck him all those weeks ago was close to finally disappearing but was still noticeable. And well-remembered by Snotlout considering the former bully dared not raise his gaze from the floor to look Stoick head on. Stoick had heard that when he was out with his friends, Snotlout was still his brash, boastful self but nowhere near as much as he had been in the past. And now seeing the arrogant youth cowed in his presence, still not allowed to wear a helmet of his own, gave Stoick hope that the boy would not be a total loss in the future once his penance was complete.

"I trust this _boy_ will conduct himself like a proper Berkian in the presence of our honoured guests?" Stoick pointedly grumbled at Spitelout, deliberately not addressing Snotlout directly or by name. Another level of punishment he was placing on another of his former son's tormentors.

"Of course brother!" Spitelout chirped back, placing a comforting hand on Snotlout's shoulder while Snotlout himself nodded furiously, trying to hide his discontented scowl at being trapped under Stoick's burning green gaze,.

"Good!" the Vast chief intoned "Perhaps if he pays attention around the other chiefs and their cohorts, he might actually learn what it means to act like a proper, loyal Viking, worthy of his chief and tribe! I don't even want to hear a whisper from him that calls us into question."

"As you say chief, good evening then!" Spitelout ground out, not even trying to hide his own scowl at Stoick's vengeful antics towards his only son and heir and being unable to prevent it. With a quick nod the two Jorgenson men had spun on their heels and retreated to their own table facing away from Stoick as much as possible.

"Nice to see the _child_ has learned some manners!" Stoick muttered before turning back to his blacksmith friend, "Is Fishlegs proving his worth to you?"

"Aye! That he is!" Gobber replied cheerily "Still squeals like a girl when he gets surprised or over-excited but he absorbs dragon knowledge like a sponge. We should have Bork's papers gone through in a short enough time before the wedding."

"Excellent!" Stoick grumbled, happy that at least one of the teens was doing something constructive with their penance, not noticing the now growing commotion just beyond the doors of the Great Hall " I want nothing left to chance when we start talking to the other tribe's experts. We have to learn as much as we can about those damn blasted …

"….. DRAGONS! … DRAGON RAID! …. THE DRAGONS ARE COMING! ….. THE DRAGONS ARE COMING!"

Like every other Viking in the Great Hall, Stoick was astounded not only at the sight of Astrid Hofferson bursting back inside, wielding her parent's swords. But also she had seemed to regain her ability to speak more than the four words she had been confined to since her encounter with Hiccup.

And the war-cry she had shouted were precisely the words Stoick didn't want to hear.

But it didn't matter. Astrid's words had set off the hair-trigger readiness that had been bred into every Berkian since the tribe claimed this Island over 300 years ago. In the instant it had taken Stoick to process this thought, he along with the entire tribe had launched from their seats and ran headlong out the door to take up their defensive posts, the wild Astrid Hofferson leading the way.

As he jostled his way through the crowd to be the first to assess the situation Stoick actually looked forward to venting some of his rage on the sneaky reptiles that had killed his wife, corrupted his son and now were trying to interrupt his wedding.

The dragons owed Stoick a debt. And he would make them pay in blood. Lots of blood.

Stoick the Vast couldn't wait …..

Stoick the Vast was happy …

* * *

 _ **(Time skip, 30 minutes later Berk)**_

Stoick the Vast was **not** happy.

And it was clearly evident that he could not maintain his usually 'stoic' demeanour as he paced angrily through the village looking for the instigator of this colossal waste of time.

Astrid Hofferson …. the gem of a generation ….. the pride of Berk …. had cried wolf … or dragon …. and had set the entire village on edge, dragged warriors from their Meade and their beds and sent women and children into a flurry of panic as they raced to hide in the Great Hall.

The entire tribe had in well-practised fashion, rushed to their assigned places ready to fight and die to defend their home only to find quiet empty skies and a calm rustling ocean to greet them.

At first it was thought the girl had only seen one beast fly by, mistaken it for the vanguard of a much larger force and thus had raised the alarm. But as the minutes stretched out with the lack of any follow up attack, many Vikings began to chalk up Astrid's call to arms as nothing more but the fresh rantings of a delusional mind. Still no-one dared question Astrid's commitment and the conditions of the night were perfect for a dragon attack so most folks were prepared to wait it out in case something actually did happen.

However that was not acceptable to Stoick who finally located Astrid in the middle of the plaza hacking and slashing at the air with her parent's swords, not allowing anyone to get near her.

"Come on get ready!" the girl urged as she swung both weapons with deadly purpose "they are coming!"

"What insanity is this now girl?!" Stoick yelled catching the attention of Astrid as shoved his way the throng of armed people around her, "We don't have time for one your Loki spawned pranks!"

"Hey it's always a good time for a good Loki spawned prank!" Tuffnutt called jovially leaning against the water cart he and the other kids in the fire brigade used to help during the raids.

"Indeed brother!" Ruffnutt replied as she shoved Tuffnutt to the ground dramatically, "In her craziness Astrid seems to have embraced her inner prankster to join us the in the glorious sisterhood of Loki-ing!"

"Yeah! You go sister!..." Tuffnuff fist-pumped from the dirt before his expression went from triumph to confusion "….. wait if _we're_ a sisterhood …. Does make _me_ a sister too?! …. Am I a girl?! …. I knew it! …. I knew mom and dad had been lying to me all these years! And you must have been in on it the whole time …. Convincing me I was one of those vile men, uh! I feel so betrayed!"

"You muttonhead!" Ruffnutt shot back at her accusing brother who was now right in her face "If you were a girl, I wouldn't want to be one! Besides you'd probably be the worst girl in the world!"

"How dare you insult me sister!" Tuffnutt bellowed back in mock hurt, latching his hands around Ruffnutt's throat "I will defend my womanly honour! Have at thee!"

"Argh! Thor spare from these idiots!" Stoick yelled in exasperation as he looked with disdain on the Thorston twins as they scrambled about in the dirt punching and kicking each other with wild abandon as Astrid went back to her swordplay, distracting everyone from the odd puttering sound that was getting louder and louder. "I swear, someone ask the midwives if every one of these children were dropped on their heads when they were born! If this is what the future generation of Berk is going to be like, I'll give armour and a helmet to all new babes the second they come screaming into this world!" Stoick called out bitterly earning a ripple of laughter from his fellow Vikings as they mentally prepared to head home for the night.

 **"Hiyyyaaaaaaah!"**

Astrid's war cry silenced everyone and Stoick feared the girl was going to attack him as she sprinted towards him. The Vast chief unsheathed his war-hammers, ready to defend against the insane shield-maiden-to-be, only to raise his eyebrows in surprise as she dodged past him with the grace she always been known for and leapt into the air, brandishing her stolen swords.

The sickening sound of metal scraping against bone had Stoick spin on the spot and see Astrid standing on top of the fat wide head on a grey coloured Gronkle, one of her swords slammed to the hilt through its eye socket. The girl was growling herself and watched with grim satisfaction as she twisted the blade, turning its brain into diced mush. The large boulder class dragon simply hovered backward a few feet, as if trying to figure out what had happened its other eye twitching in confusion if it was indeed dead or not. To the stunned silence of the crowd around her Astrid held on as the Gronkle made up its mind to die and after a few moments its wings stuttered to a halt and with a defeated groan the bulky beast dropped to the floor with a loud thump, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

As the Dragon slumped over in the dirt Astrid pulled her sword from its skull, scattering fragments of blood, bone and brain all over the ground and herself, a wild elated smile on her face. The thrill of the hunt was finally back, the fire in her eyes burning away the remnants of the addled brain deadness that had constricted her these past few weeks. Before Stoick could do or say anything in response Astrid threw her hands over her head and screamed victoriously.

" **YEEEAAAAHHHHHHH! HEAR MY BATTLECRY HICCUP! HEAR ME!"**

And then as if to answer her challenge, the dark night sky was torn asunder by a deafening cacophony of bestial roars and shrieks. The black firmament of distant white stars was ripped apart by the blinding red light of living suns that now began to fall onto the village, followed by the huge scaled bodies of the myriad dragons that owned them. In an instant the once desolately quiet streets were alive with the huge reptiles as they began rampaging through, searching for Berk's much needed food supplies and bringing the fight to any Vikings that stood in their way.

For all of a moment Stoick gazed in wonder at the fire raining from the sky, always angry and envious of the sheer power his life-long enemies wielded to keep him and his people beholden to their savage whims. But it was only a moment and as Astrid had so wonderfully proven a few seconds ago, Stoick let his warrior's heart soar in the knowledge, that these mighty, mindless creatures could indeed bleed and be killed.

He wondered how on Midgard Astrid knew the dragons were coming. But he would save such questions for later.

Right now, he was going to kill as many dragons as he could. Already the villagers had turned to defending themselves and so Stoick, war-hammers in hands, strode off bellowing orders over the clamour of battle illuminated by the growing house fires of the dragons that were putting his tribe's home to the flames.

" **TO YOUR POSTS, RAISE MORE TORCHES! WOMEN AND CHILDREN STAY IN THE GREAT HALL! GET THE FIRE BRIGADE MOVING! TO ARMS TO ARMS!"**

Usually dragon raids came as a surprise but this time they had been more than ready.

And this time the outcome would be different.

Stoick the Vast was certain of that.

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **The opening salvos to a new arc.**

 **I had to pick up on a few threads here just to remind folks and myself what is going on with certain characters as we have been gone from Berk for quite a while and this was a very important way point for me to establish where things stood.**

 **How did you like Astrid's madness? There's still a lot of development to be had with her and you will how much more she has been effected further into this arc.**

 **Next posting will definitely be next Sunday.**

 **As always any comments are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time, Take care of yourselves and each other.**


	42. Snatching Victory PT2

**Hey everyone**

 **Welcome back to the next chapter in ROTNF!**

 **Many thanks for all your feedback thus far. It was really fun to get back to Berk and to see how things have gone.**

 **Not much more to say but to thank you all again for sticking with this story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Return of The Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 41**

 **Snatching Victory Part 2**

* * *

 **Previously on ROTNF…**

 **While Toothless and his fellow Nightfuries made a kill on the Isle of Munn,**

 **Various characters began journeys all around the Archipelago,**

 **Finally Astrid seemed to come out of her madness and warn Berk about a dragon raid.**

 **How will the aftermaths of both encounters pan out?**

 **Read on and find out!**

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, The Isle of Munn, sometime later)**_

Though you would not really be able to notice it, Omen's pure black eyes opened with happiness to see Toothless, Moonchaser, Twilight, Nightbreaker and Dathomir pace quietly back into the small clearing that was their temporary camp, each with their own souvenir of their hunt. Omen noted with glee that not only did the first-born of Deathwing have a certain jaunt in his step, obviously well pleased with his kill, but also he was walking side-by-side with Moonchaser, their flanks constantly touching, an outward sign of their re-ignited affection growing stronger.

" **I take your hunt was a success first-born?"** Omen crooned quietly, barely above a whisper.

" **Indeed Omen, we return with flesh for you and a trophy that may serve Hiccup as well!"** Dathomir replied before Toothless could, **"Looks like your sight was as sharp as ever dark-seer"** the light-weaver rumbled as he dropped the huge bear hide he had skinned from their quarry on the ground, while Nightbreaker set a huge chunk of oozing red flesh in front of Omen who delicately picked it up and swallowed it whole with barely a sound.

Mention of his human instantly had Toothless on guard as Hiccup had yet to greet him. Something which always happened when he returned from his travels. Still by his side, Moonchaser could feel the tension grip her former mate's body as the male Nightfury darted his gaze all over the campsite, worry beginning to mar his features. Also sensing Toothless' growing fear and anger Omen cooed gently drawing his attention.

" **Have no fear my prince",** The black-eyed Nightfury whispered warmly as he drew back his wing slightly, **"the boy is here and he sleeps."**

Toothless' heart nearly melted when he saw the revealed sight of Hiccup, still clutched around Omen's foreleg, his head resting on his arms.

" **Have you seen such a sight?"** Toothless rumbled quietly, surprised that he was not over-flowing with jealousy that another Nightfury besides himself was comforting his human, something he resented Dathomir for. But there was so much more going on in that hybrid's mind which Toothless vowed he would get to the bottom of in due time. Omen was simply doing his duty and for that Toothless was grateful.

" **All hatchlings look cute when they sleep brother"** Nightbreaker replied sarcasticallyas he scooped up one of the thigh bones Twilight had brought back with her **"better that then have them awake and constantly causing us trouble, or in human's case, trying to kill us!"**

Toothless chuckled quietly as he brought his snout close to Hiccup's head and gently tussled the boy's hair with his lower jaw. In response Hiccup tensed slightly before resuming his state of slumber apparently deeper than his friend previously thought.

"Um …. Sorry bud …. So sorry …. Sor … ugh …. Mmmmph … I didn't mean …. Sorry …. ummmmh" Hiccup murmured sadly much to Toothless' concern as he looked to Omen for some sort of explanation.

" **He may sleep my prince, but I fear he does not sleep well"** Omen whispered, **"Though I am no dream-walker, I can tell whenever he stirs in his dreams, he speaks to you, he begs your forgiveness for something …. Then he settles once more after shedding a tear or two, Perhaps it is because he knows, even in his sleep, that** _ **I**_ **hold him and not** _ **you**_ **?"**

Toothless shuddered at the apparent distress Hiccup was in, even in his dreams. It was only made more puzzling after a quick use of his 'true-sight' to examine Hiccup's aura revealed nothing conclusive, being a neutral green slightly tinted with a sad blue. The Nightfury prince was about to lean forward and wake Hiccup, when Moonchaser gave him a gentle nudge, forcing them to side-step away from his human.

" **Let us not disturb his slumber Shadow",** the white-eyed dragon cooed reassuringly, **"he has had a trying night and the coming morn will prove an equally demanding experience being back amongst his own kind, Omen will care for him, won't you?"**

" **Of course Moonchaser, you have my oath on it"** Omen replied with a determined look on his face that reassured all the Nightfuries before him, despite unnoticed looks of disappointment and discontent from both Dathomir and Twilight.

" **Very well, let us all take some rest then"** Toothless warbled as he settled himself on the ground with Moonchaser still close beside him. Indeed it warmed Toothless' dragon-heart that his mate was giving him a chance to prove himself worthy of her again. Despite everything, he felt like he could make anything possible as his insides literally hummed with energy, having the devoured the great bear's heart, as was his right, feeling the animal's mighty strength course through him. Truly the giant fuzzy beast had put up an admirable fight.

Savouring the feeling of conquering such a powerful foe, Toothless looked about and watched with pride at his fellow Nightfuries as they digested their own share of the hunt. Nothing had been left behind, the dragons had consumed everything the animal had to offer while Dathomir ensured the bear's pelt was kept in one piece. Toothless begrudgingly admitted the hybrid had a point the bear skin would either help Hiccup trade in the town or it could keep him warm in the encroaching winter nights. Though why would Hiccup need such comfort when he already received it by cuddling up to him every night? The Nightfury prince did not wish to dwell on such thoughts too much. Hiccup would stay with him. That is what would happen. Toothless was sure of it.

As he came back to himself, he grinned at Twilight as she continued to gnaw on the marrow of the leg bone she had brought back. Then he saw Nightbreaker set his bone aside, let out a deep yawn and roll over on his back, his belly bulging out and legs twitching slightly, indicating he had indeed feasted well.

" **A fine kill!"** the armoured Nightfury chuckled as he turned his up-side-down gaze toward a silent, brooding Dathomir, **"but did you have to crash into Zodiac so hard that she cannot share in our feast?"**

" **She will be fully recovered when she wakes",** the large light-weaver replied evenly before his demeanour became stern and cold, **"No-one will find her in the thicket we left her in ….. Besides ….. it would not be appropriate to have her share in this."**

" **Really?"** Moonchaser crooned in concern, **"Care to tell us why Zodiac must be left out Dathomir?"**

" **I wouldn't want her to fly home and spill tonight's revelations to Blacklight and the other enemies of the first born here! … "**

At Dathomir's ominous statement all of the Nightfuries became tense and alert, their post hunt fatigue suddenly forgotten. Nightbreaker quickly rolled onto his front, Twilight abandoned her bone, slipping to the edge of the clearing, keeping Dathomir clearly in her sights as her 'gaze of truth' activated to test the veracity of what he might say.

Moonchaser stepped cautiously beside Toothless who was now standing at his full height his wings slightly flared, his eyes wide and searching Dathomir's, trying to anticipate but also deeply fearing what was so important that the enigmatic outcast Nightfury would say that it would hand advantage to his enemies.

" … **.. So Shadow ….. "** Dathomir crooned, his gaze steely and unflinching, **"…. care to tell us why you are** _ **still**_ **under the control of a Red Death?"**

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, on Berk, sometime later)**_

The raid was over ….. Finally.

Stoick the Vast trudged wearily back up the gang plank from the docks, having had to fend off a couple of Scaldrons that had been trying to raid the fishing nets. Though the huge green creatures had been driven off and despite the cold night, it hadn't stopped him from picking up some nasty burns on his hands and face from their projectiles of boiling water.

Dawn's first rays were starting to light the sky, a faint line of light blue blending into the purplish black of the fast fading night, an orange tint to the sea in the east, indicating that the sun itself was on its way to rising.

The coming of the day brought with it the duality of the Berkian's existence. With the sun came life, hope and the realisation that the dragons would always retreat before its Odin blessed beams. However the departure of the dragons meant they had inevitably stolen from the Vikings what they themselves had desperate need of: Food that sustained them, homes that sheltered them and in the worst cases, the lives of brave Vikings that defended them.

It was always the human cost of the raids that weighed heaviest on Stoick. The cost that made him quietly fear the setting of every sun and then kept him on edge at night, even when he did sleep.

He lost Valka at night.

Every time those winged beasts came, the Chief dreaded having to be the bearer of bad news to grieving families come the morn. He knew practically everyone in the tribe and had rehearsed his _'condolences'_ speech to all of them in his mind should any of them fall to their ancient enemies.

Such were the heavy considerations one had to carry if one were Chief. It was the burden hardest to bare. As a young man he had tried his best to help his own father bare it and these days …..

…. Oh right … he didn't have a son anymore to help him bare that burden ….. at least not yet.

Damn that blasted boy!

Nearing the plaza Stoick's shoulders sagged as he saw one particular Viking approach him.

Hoark, a man known for his skill with meat cleavers, being the village butcher but more importantly, the man charged with the dubious honour of, after every raid, bringing Stoick the damage report and if necessary …. the list of mortalities. It was a loathsome duty but it was Hoark's.

Apparently there had been a vote a few years ago …. a _'Viking style'_ vote ….. a huge free-for-all scuffle in the Great Hall one night to decide the matter and Hoark had come out the worst … making him the winner …. Or more appropriately ….. the loser.

Despite being the one to risk to risk the Chief's immediate wrath, Hoark eventually performed the job without hesitation or complaint. Something for which Stoick was grateful.

"Well? ….." The Chief asked warily as he shuddered to halt, knowing the answers would undoubtedly mean more sleepless nights for him to solve the village's problems, " ….. What's the word _this_ time?"

"Chief!" Hoark saluted reverently before glancing down to the notes he had made, "got ten houses burned, will probably take about two weeks to fix up. The Snotman and Steenson clans are going to have to find somewhere to live for a while seeing their entire houses were torn apart. The homes for the visiting tribes were left alone, Thank Thor! …"

"… and the casualties?!" this was the part Stoick steeled himself for, even before the question passed his lips.

"Right, let's see" Hoak replied looking to the parchment again " uhhhhh, 4 Monstrous Nightmares, 4 Zipplebacks …..

"No! Not the dragons! The people!" Stoick yelled before reigning himself in "How many of our _people_ did we lose?"

At this Hoark's eye brows lifted with a growing smile of reassurance he spoke cheerily "Ours? … well ….. none Chief!"

"None?!" Stoick asked, staring in disbelief.

"Aye! …" the brown bearded warrior stated firmly ".. a few scrapes and bruises, maybe a broken leg or two but no-one was lost!"

"Thank Odin!" Stoick exulted in relief as he clasped hands with Hoark in a warrior's grip sharing his gratitude to hear of this small triumph.

"Aye, there'll be plenty of thanking Odin at breakfast I'm sure!" Hoark replied with equal cheer before his expression became serious again and Stoick realised he had yet to hear of the second most important part of Hoark's report.

"Our food stores? How much did they take this time?" the Vast Chief asked warily seeing the dip in Hoark's brow.

"Stoick ….. it's not good!" Hoark intoned, "The … the storehouse on the third level was completely cleared out, boar meat, our salted and dried Yak, along with large quantities of mutton …." Hoark paused as he saw a shiver of rage and disappointment literally ripple through Stoick's Vast frame, his grip on his bloodied hammers visibly tighten. Still this was Hoark's job and he would do it as he kept speaking "…. the last catch of stored fish was taken and over half of Silent Sven's flock is gone too!"

A brief silence fell as both men digested the implications of Hoark's report. The third level storehouse was relied upon to hold the bulk of their winter supplies, so to know it had been gutted to feed the gluttonous reptiles was a horribly bitter pill to swallow. This was indeed a crisis. For what good was a tribe when there was no food to feed it?

"Damn them beasts!" Stoick growled.

"Chief, The first snow will fall soon! That means the sea will be frozen in a matter of weeks. What will we do?" Hoark asked slightly despondent, "With this inventory, there won't be enough meat to sustain everyone through the winter, especially seeing we have to throw a wedding feast for you and the other chiefs who will expect nothing but the best. What are we going to feed them with?"

Stoick snapped his head up and was about to yell at Hoark for stating the obvious like an idiot, when a high pitched yell drew his attention to a group of houses across the plaza and several warriors keeping a wide berth of it.

His bigger concerns overpowered for the moment in favour of satisfying his curiosity, Stoick marched toward the yelling, Hoark falling into step behind him, weapons ready to fight if necessary.

As they got closer, they came across Gunnar Ingerman sitting on his front porch, casually wiping the blood off of his sword as if it was the most normal thing in world. But then they were Vikings, blood was kind of their thing. He didn't seem at all put off by the yelling going on round the corner. Stoick gave the huge Ingerman patriarch a questioning look, to which the man simply smirked, nodded his head toward the sound of the commotion and said.

"I think you'd best handle this one!"

"What is it Gunnar? A stray dragon?"

"You'd best see for yourself" Gunnar replied before going back to cleaning his blade.

Heading around the corner he came across Ack, Snorre and Spitelout staring at something beyond, the obvious source of the noise which had now devolved into strained grunting and the repeated sound of a sword hitting some kind of soft object. Coming to stand beside them, Stoick and Hoark were shocked to see what his fellow Vikings were transfixed by.

At the end of the alleyway, was Astrid, her (or rather her parents') swords still in hands, repeatedly hacking and slashing at the already torn up body of a large Deadly Nadder.

"She's been at it for a good ten minutes now Chief" Spitelout mumbled, somehow knowing Stoick had joined them, yet not taking his eyes off the sight before them all "Even after she took it down, A pretty decent kill streak if you ask me."

"Streak?" Stoick questioned still transfixed by the butchering going on before him.

"Aye," Spitleout replied a tinge of awe in his tone "after she took down that Gronkle and the raid started, it was like she was everywhere! That's the third Nadder she's killed …."

" … I saw her take down another Gronkle earlier" Ack chimed in "Big beast was sniffing around the tanner's shop. Must have caught the scent of dead animals from the pelts inside. She scrambled it's brains like the last one and then she was off like a some war-possessed Valkyrie …"

" …. That's when she helped me take down that Monstrous Nightmare on its way to the northern catapult tower! ….. " Snorre added now, eliciting a gasp from Stoick who was finding it hard to watch the enraged girl and yet to believe she had accomplished so much in one night.

"What's her final tally then?" Stoick asked half in dread, half in excitement.

"From what the lot of us saw tonight, I'd say 4 Gronkles, one a definite bull male, 2 ½ Deadly Nadders judging from the hacked up state of this one here and half of Snorre's Nightmare. Plus there's a big blue Zippleback on the lower level with both its heads cut off that no-one's claimed to have killed yet, so it's safe to guess Astrid brought it down. That's nearly as good as your first raid Stoick!" Spitelout replied.

"That puts the final dragon kill tally at 4 Monstrous Nightmares, 5 Zipplebacks, 9 deadly nadders, 13 Gronkles, 20 Terrible Terrors and 1 Scaldron that was taken out by a catapult as it tried to swim away" Hoark surmised as he added the figures to his own list, "We've also captured 4 Nadders, 2 Gronkles and 3 Terrible Terrors which are already being locked up in the arena!"

Stoick simply nodded dumbly at Spitelout's listing off of Astrid's kill list and of Hoark's final tallies. Truly Astrid had distinguished herself this night based purely on her martial prowess and this had to have been one of the biggest victories over the dragons Berk had experienced in years. Yet it was not the main thing that pricked at Stoick's mind as he noticed Baldur and Hilda Hofferson had finally arrived and were pulling their blood soaked daughter away from the hacked up mess that used to be a Deadly Nadder.

Moving close to the now disarmed blonde girl, he noticed there was a light of recognition in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Chief!" Astrid declared reverently as she followed it up with a respectful yet staggered bow. It was still disturbing to see one so young covered in so much blood but this was a very special case considering the girl's near catatonic state these past few weeks.

"How did you know they were coming Astrid?" Stoick asked in his usual authoritative voice.

"Chief?" Astrid looked confused now.

"You sounded the alarm long before they arrived, how did you know?" the chief asked more firmly now.

"I … I mean I just ….. I heard ….. something ….. I mean how could you _not_ hear them? …. They were so loud! … " Astrid's confusion now looked like it was going to give way to her old delirious state and her face became sad and worried as she began babbling "Did I do good Chief? … I did good didn't I? … didn't I? I … please tell me! I did do good?!"

Fearing the desperation rising in her voice Stoick stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her and fill that craving need for praise and acceptance he now knew crippled the young Hofferson child, "YES, yes yes! You did good lass! Very very good. You served your chief and your tribe well. Keep this up and you will rewarded!"

At this a happy smile broke across her scarred face and she nearly looked like a carefree child once more, "Oh Thanks chief! I knew I did good! Just wait til I show Hiccup in the morning! he's gonna be so jealous that I beat him to killing a dragon! I'll definitely come first for sure and then the Monstrous Nightmare will be mine ha ha!"

At this Stoick's eye twitched seeing that Astrid, though back to talking in full sentences now, still was dealing with a lot of confusion. Yet, she had demonstrated some sort of untapped potential with the dragons and Stoick would harness that potential as much as possible.

"Actually Astrid, I don't think that will be necessary!" Stoick intoned officiously, "In fact because of the skill you have demonstrated tonight I have decided to award you with very special position within the tribe. A brand new position in fact full prestige and honour!"

As Astrid gasped in anticipation at Stoick's words, all the gathered adults suddenly became wary as to what Stoick was thinking, for no-one had seen this coming.

"In light of your skills, I hereby appoint you to be ….. The official watcher of Berk!" Stoick declared dramatically, "you will be inducted into the Berk Guard, charged with keeping a watchful eye out for any future dragon raids and when you sense one coming you will alert the rest of us. The very future of Berk's survival will rest upon your shoulders! Will you accept this great responsibility?"

Before anyone could utter a word of question or protest Astrid suddenly leap up and yelped in triumph.

"Yes! Oh thank you chief! Of course I'll do it! I'll eye spy those dragons! They won't know that we know that they know they are coming. Do I get my own watchtower?"

"Of course!" Stoick boomed with fake cheer, seizing on the girl's happiness, "We'll build it right above your house so that if there's no raids you can climb straight back down into bed! And if the dragons do come you can fight as many as you like! How's that sound?"

"YES!" Astrid exalted in glee, completely oblivious to the horror stricken looks on her parents faces at what their chief was doing. Stoick noticed and smiled reassuringly at the Hofferson parents with a pointed look in his eyes.

"Excellent, I'd say it's for the best that it be at your house Astrid, I wouldn't want to have to _ship you out_ to one of the sea stacks or even another Island and build your watchtower there now, _would I?_ "

"Oh no Chief, our house would be completely acceptable!" Baldur cut in firmly, understanding the promise (or threat) in his Chief's words and resenting every syllable of them.

"Then we have an agreement then. I'd say this would be a perfect opportunity for old debts to be repaid and wrongs against my house to be righted. Take some rest and quiet, it might bring this young Shield-maiden back to better health!" Stoick chortled with extra false mirth, nodding to Baldur and Hilda to take Astrid home and that this conversation was still far from over. As Baldur put his arms on his daughter's shoulders he couldn't get away from Stoick fast enough.

"Okay Astrid, Honey that's enough. Time to go rest." The Hofferson father crooned as he steered the girl home.

"I made you proud daddy didn't I?" Astrid chirped oblivious to the machinations around her.

"Yes, yes you did." Baldur cooed warmly, wishing this had happened under any other circumstances.

"And Uncle Finn! He's going to be proud when he sees all the dragons I killed isn't he?!" Astrid babbled out.

"Uh ….. yes of course dear!" Hilda interjected, heart-broken by her daughter's constant bouncing around both physically and mentally but saying whatever she thought was necessary to keep Astrid in a positive mood " ….. Uncle Finn will be super proud of you ….. now come! Let's get you cleaned up and into bed! ….. Every little warrior needs her rest! …. that's ….. that's what Finn … always used to say!"

"Yeah! Big day tomorrow! Gotta keep up my skills if I'm gonna win dragon training and show Hiccup the Useless who's boss!"

Stoick stared grimly at the retreating family as Astrid's childish discourse faded into the din of the coming morn. It seemed the girl wasn't completely herself yet and had little idea just what she had done. Still, there was time for her to come back to herself fully and when that happened, Stoick vowed he would ensure Astrid fully understood the consequences of her actions.

"Spitelout, make sure we get some workers on building that watchtower at the Hofferson house as soon as possible. Have it sprout out of the chimney if needs be." Stoick ordered firmly to which Spitelout gruffly saluted and left.

"You really think she's got some kind of gift Chief?" Ack asked dubiously "I mean predicting dragon raids sounds more like insanity or even witchcraft to me! There's already one of them Hoffersons out sailing to find the edge of the world cause she was cursed by Odin himself! Maybe Astrid's been cursed too and it will lead us all to ruin!"

"Curse or not Ack, it's something I can use!" Stoick replied evenly as he turned to face the short brown bearded Viking, "We'll see if she's truly gifted the next time a raid comes and if this was just a fluke of Loki. Besides, we base our storm predictions on old Bucket's moaning and groaning so why can't it be the same for dragons?"

"He's right you know! _'The old Bucket never fails! Clink clink clink!"_ Snorre cheered jokingly as he impersonated the huge blonde Viking's habit of tapping his weird choice of head gear.

The assembled Vikings chuckled together at Snorre's antics, most of them thinking Bucket though pleasant enough, was just a complete oddball who had been struck by lightning that one time. Yet Stoick knew every man or girl in this case had their uses and he dismissed the rest with a gesture as there was plenty of cleaning up to do before the visiting chiefs arrived.

Only Hoark stayed, his face still shadowed with worry.

"What about the food stores Chief?"

Stoick turned to look around. Anywhere but into the worried eyes of his friend. Eyes that would soon be reflected in the face of every Berkian once they realised just how badly off they were for food with winter bearing down on them. As the large man ran a hand down his face to rub away some of the fatigue and stress from his own eyes, his gaze fell on an object that had his brain suddenly jumping to remember the numbers Hoark had spewed a few minutes earlier

" _4 Monstrous Nightmares,_

 _5 Zipplebacks,_

 _9 Deadly Nadders,_

 _13 Gronkles,_

 _20 Terrible Terrors_

 _and 1 Scaldron._

 _4 Nadders, 2 Gronkles and 3 Terrible Terrors locked up in the arena!"_

Stepping up to the corpse of the Deadly Nadder he placed his hand on its heavily muscular flank and hummed in thought.

It was inconceivable, it was blasphemous, it was Horrendous …

It was the only solution Stoick could find.

"Hoark!" Stoick croaked, his voice heavy with foreboding putting his friend and village butcher on edge, "I want you to gather your apprentices, and Gisle the tanner here immediately!"

"Why? There's nothing to skin or eat here! There's only …." Hoark's voice died and his eyes widened as the coin dropped on what his friend and Chief was ordering.

"Oh no, no, no!" the man shuddered in fear and disgust, "We can't do _that_ Stoick! We may be desperate but we can't eat …."

"… Desperate time call for desperate measures!" Stoick interrupted drawing up to his full imposing height and stepping into Hoark's personal space, his voice an angry whisper, "for once these beasts will help keep us alive rather than constantly trying to kill us and their skins will make fine gifts for the visiting chiefs!"

"And if the people find out what they are being served?"

"They won't!" Stoick spoke gravely as he eyed Hoark down, letting his fellow Berkian know that this was going be a secret he and his fellow workers would take to Valhalla. And if they did speak of it, Stoick would send them there early.

"As you say Chief!" Hoark nodded in deference before stepping back from the threatening man, "I'll see to it right away!"

"Good man!" Stoick growled, "have it done before the people or the crows notice!"

And with that Hoark disappeared and Stoick took in a huge breath to relieve the stress that already had begun to mount on him with the coming of the rising sun. Taking the opportunity to seize a brief few moments of respite, Stoick trudged up the hill to the cliffs that sat beside his house. Staring out over the village and the sea, Stoick watched as the waves pounded against the base of the cliffs as gulls shrieked and dived for their breakfast amongst the breakers.

There was an undeniable strength the sea had, yet it seemed so futile as it railed against the immovable land in the way that it did.

Stoick was like the land, like the cliffs. No matter what the world threw at him, he would find a way to endure, to outlast everything or everyone that came against him and his people. He wasn't called Stoick for nothing.

Breathing deeply he allowed the salty air to reawaken him and reinvigorate his senses.

He wasn't sure when Phlegma arrived, but he felt her arm interlock with his.

He hadn't seen or heard anything from her during the raid and yet he wasn't concerned for her safety in the slightest. Not out of cold-heartedness but just out of knowing that, of all the females on the Island Phelgma could handle herself and would always come out alive and victorious. It was one of the things that made her different from Valka. Though he wasn't able to show it, he was never done worrying about his first wife whenever the raids came. She was a good warrior but Stoick always feared that her beautiful agile frame would not be sturdy enough to handle the constant vigours of the raids, or her unpopular opinions could withstand the disapproval of nearly the entire tribe. He loved Valka dearly but he found it hard to trust her constant assurances she would be fine. With Phlegma he did not need such assurance.

Stoick always feared Valka wouldn't come back. He never feared that Phlegma would fall. She was just that good.

It reinforced in the Chief's mind that he had indeed, made the best choice for his future wife. The waves continued to lash impotently against the cliffs below as Stoick and Phlegma surveyed their domain and with nary a word spoken between them, they prepared to steer it on the best course possible.

Stoick reflected on the past night's revelations and the ironic opportunities that had arisen and one thought kept coming back to make him smirk.

At last the dragons would be useful to Berk.

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, same time, elsewhere on Berk)**_

"Oh Thank Odin, Thank Odin, Thank Odin!" Fishlegs continually muttered as he shuffled along, avoiding anything potentially dangerous … which to him was …. Pretty much everything.

' _This was a night designed to torment him'_ the large teen thought as he tried to pick his way through the side streets to his home and hopefully some bed rest.

Being on constant readiness with nothing happening for over half an hour because of Astrid's rantings had frayed pretty much every one of his nerves. And then suddenly the dragons were everywhere and Gobber had unceremoniously turfed him out for the forge to go _'make a name for himself and even get himself a date by killing a dragon!'_

And then everyone was constantly asking _'Why are you out here?!'_ or _'Shouldn't you be helping at the smithy!'_ and _'You should be inside!'_

It seemed that because he was now helping Gobber, people automatically assumed he was the new blacksmith's apprentice and was constantly badgered by every passing warrior why he wasn't in the forge helping, yet not even sticking around to let him tell them that he was only there in an _intellectual capacity_ and not to pound iron as Hiccup had done.

 _He was not here to be another Hiccup!_

The rest of the night had involved him helping the twins on fire duty then trying to find his dad or mom whilst cowering behind his shield. The heavy circular piece of wood and iron had taken a severe battering but had held up well and Fishlegs vowed he would never enter battle without it.

Now finally, dawn had come and the remaining dragons had taken flight. Now he could get back ….

" _ **GGGRRREEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCHHHHHH!"**_

The sudden high pitched squeal had Fishlegs letting out his own high pitched squeal and flapping his arms around like a demented bird as he danced about trying to shake off the Terrible Terror that had attached itself to his very large back. Throwing the tiny dragon off, Fishlegs brought his shield up to cower behind again trying to analyse his assailant. He had no idea how many shots the little ankle biter had left, how quick it was, if it still had venom with which to poison him or if it had more friends lurking in the shadows ready to mob him.

The first question and second was answered immediately as the little green beast darted about like a blur and pitched tiny fireballs at him. Thankfully Fishlegs' shield still held strong. However the impacts did push him back to the point he tripped and went crashing into what he thought was a barrel full of slippery, slimy fish.

"EEEEWWWWWWW Gross!" Fishlegs shouted as he flailed around in distress casting the contents of the barrel everywhere.

It was at this point Fishlegs figured his game was up, his shield was gone now, cast away in his clumsy throes and soon the Terrible Terror would sink its teeth into his face and poison him to death.

' _Oh such an ignominious end to Fishlegs the dragon nerd!'_ The blonde teen lamented to himself.

Clenching his eyes shut. Fishlegs prepared for the end. _'At least I'll get into Valhalla, having been killed in battle with a Dragon. Albeit a very small Dragon that every other warrior could probably best with their little finger! But that's not the point! Valhalla here I come!'_

However the distraught screeching of the Terrible Terror brought Fishlegs out of his reverie and he opened his eyes to see what was delaying his demise.

Taking in the scene before him Fishlegs stood to see the ground between him and the snarling little dragon was littered with long slimy eels, the Terror pacing back and forth in front of them but not daring to come too close to them ….. or him for that matter. Stroking his chin, with a thoughtful look on his face, Fishlegs' brain kicked into overdrive to solve this little conundrum. He had been in the perfect position to be ended by one of the smallest dragons he knew and then it just stopped because of the eels at his feet.

' _Could it be?'_

Stopping to pick up one of the smelly sea snakes, Fishlegs held it out toward the tiny Terror and looked in shock as the fire-breathing beast's eyes widened in what could only be described as …. Fear!

The dragon … _feared_ … the eel in his hand!

Seeking to test the theory more Fishlegs took a few steps forward holding the eel outward. The Terrible Terror, once fierce and angry was now cringing and whimpering as it backed-up two steps for every one step Fishlegs took. Finally the dragon turned and opened its wings to fly away when ….

' _ **SNAP!'**_

….. A thick black leather boot slammed down on the small dragon's neck, crushing its windpipe, breaking its spine and ending its life forever.

"HA HA! ANOTHER SCORE FOR THE GREAT DRAGON SLAYER! SNOTLOUT SNOTLOUT! OI! OI! OI!"

Fishlegs was broken from his reverie by the burly teen's boastful antics as Snotlout scooped up the now dead Terror and dangled it in front of Fishlegs the same way he was holding the eel.

"Wow! Congratulations Fishface! You just killed yourself a whole a barrelful of eels! Ha!" Snotlout mocked as he gestured to the ground around them, "I'm sure they'll be singing songs about this in Valhalla! _'Oh great Fishlegs! Slayer of eels! Trala la la la!'_ while I Snotlout will be known as … _**'The crusher of Terror!'**_ Ha!"

Trying not to be put off by the condescension that radiated off his fellow warrior, Fishlegs regained his composure "Actually Snotlout" he replied earnestly "I think I may have found out something really important! You see I was studying the dragon's repsons …..'

"… **.. BORING!"** Snotlout interrupted loudly, holding up his hand to dismissively silence him, before proceeding to condescend to him again "You see … _Fishlegs_ … people don't care about what _you know!_ It's all about what you _do!_ Look at Hiccup! He _knew_ loads of stuff about stuff and look where that got him? … exiled, disowned and hated. Sure he found a Nightfury ….. but how long until it eats him? …. Which it will …. So I would watch out who you go spouting all this _useless_ knowledge to …. okay?!"

"But Snotlout! …" Fishlegs grunted in protest

" ….. Okay bye bye now!" Snotlout chirped dismissively as he skipped past Fishlegs until, "…..Woah! …."

' _ **SPLAT!'**_

He slipped on an eel and went backside first into a pile of them.

"EEEEEEWWWWW! These eels stink!" the black haired teen whined.

"Careful _'oh crusher of terror!"_ Fishlegs chortled, "Eels can be dangerous too!"

"You shut up!" Snotlout whined again as he quickly got up and dusted himself off before pointy a meaty finger at Fishlegs, "You did not see that, I was never here, you were never here and you know nothing!"

"Of course Snotlout …." Fishlegs replied, smiling with a subtlety Snotlout would never notice, "… this never happened."

"Great! Thanks for the assist with this guy!" Snotlout smiled back oblivious to Fishlegs' meaning as he began strutting his way back to the main street, calling back over his shoulder "and who knows? Maybe next time even _you'll_ bring a dragon down! Hey dad! I got another one! Wohoo Snotlout!"

Finally alone in the silence of the street, Fishlegs took stock of what happened and tried to process it.

The dragon feared the eel.

 _ **Why?**_

Every problem had a solution.

 _ **Was it some sort of curse?**_

With Hiccup riding a Nightfury anything was possible.

 _ **Was Eel poisonous to Dragons perhaps?**_

It did smell and taste foul.

 _ **Was that all there was to it?**_

Perhaps, perhaps not.

 _ **Was that how Hiccup got a dragon as big as Zippleback to go back into its cage without even touching it?**_

Probably. He would have to test that.

Regardless of the reason, Fishlegs kept coming back to the same fleeting emotion that ran through his mind when he stepped forward and the Terrible Terror recoiled from him.

For the briefest of moments he had power over the creature.

 _ **Power.**_

For the briefest moments he had attained some of the power he was sure Hiccup had knowledge of.

 _ **Knowledge.**_

For briefest of moments …. He _liked_ having that power.

 _ **Knowledge was Power.**_

He would take Snotlout's advice and not speak of this to anyone.

This _useless knowledge_ and its potential power was now his and his alone.

He _liked_ that as well.

Fishlegs thought of the last thing Snotlout said to him " ….. maybe next time even _you'll_ bring a dragon down! ..."

With a glint in his eye Fishlegs crushed the eel in his mighty hand, letting it's gooey remains fall to the ground, picked up his shield and made for home, a new spark of confidence in his step, muttering his reply to himself …..

"Maybe I will Snotlout …. Maybe I will!"

For after all ….. Knowledge was power.

* * *

 **There we are folks!**

 **The aftermath of the raid and the various consequences stemming from it. We got a few reveals and some nice little insights into what is going to come up. As you can see there's lots going on back on Berk and next time we will swap back to Toothless and his new confrontation with Dathomir.**

 **Had to cut things off here as it was a nice stopping point and the next scene is quite long in itself.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and any comments questions or feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time**

 **Be excellent to each other!**

 **Razor95**


	43. Snatching Victory PT3

**Hey everyone!**

 **Welcome back to the latest instalment in the 'Snatching Victory' mini-arc!**

 **Sorry to leave the whole Dathomir / Toothless face off thing hanging after the last chapter but I had other stops to make and the follow on from it deserved its own chapter seeing it's a bit long and it gets quite in-depth on certain topics as well as revealing another fascinating bit of Dragon lore which may have you going "WOW!" or more likely "I'm sorry, but WHUUUUUT?!"**

 **Either way I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **The Return of The Nightfuries**

 **Chapter 42**

 **Snatching Victory Pt 3**

* * *

 **Previously on ROTNF….**

 **In the aftermath of the raid Stoick made some difficult decisions**

 **Fishlegs made an interesting discovery.**

 **And Dathomir made a powerful accusation.**

 **How will the Nightfury Prince react?**

 **Read on and find out!**

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile, same time, more or less, on the Isle of Munn)**_

Knowledge is power.

A phrase applied equally to humans and Dragons alike.

Yet knowledge comes in so many forms. Certainties gleamed from first-hand experience, mystical revelations divined from the ever changing winds of magic and then what is pieced together from different sources like a puzzle, until a complete, undeniable picture has been created.

Yes indeed, knowledge was power and right now that power coursed through the mind and body of Dathomir of Samaria, the former human cursed to be a Nightfury hybrid, light-weaver, secret keeper for an entire Island of dragons and holder of knowledge that had the power to send them all plunging into a blinding whirlwind of destruction.

" … **.. So Shadow ….. "** Dathomir crooned, his gaze steely and unflinching, **"…. care to tell us why you are** _ **still**_ **under the control of a Red Death?"**

The silence in the clearing was deafening, it felt as if the slightest whisper would shatter the world itself. The first thing that got anyone's attention was Omen pulling his wings fully around Hiccup to keep him asleep, deaf and blind to what he was sure was going to become a very highly charged confrontation. The last thing anyone wanted was for him to be awoken and be privy to whatever was going to come out, lest it shatter his brilliant yet fragile mind. Omen noted with satisfaction that the movement simply made the boy snuggle even tighter into his body, thus assuring his ignorance of what was about to transpire.

All eyes in the clearing were either locked on Toothless to gauge his response to the light-weaver's accusation, (he had made none which was worrisome in itself) or on Dathomir as he stood towering over the assembled Nightfuries from both his physical and seemingly moral high-ground.

When he did speak, the hybrid's voice was still a little more than a murmur, but the power and certainty with which he spoke was undeniable.

" **At first I wasn't sure what about I was hearing. For the longest time the call of that** _ **other Alpha**_ **was too weak to make out, especially with** _ **'the veil'**_ **and Deathwing's presence shielding us."**

Dathomir paused for a moment and then resumed speaking, only this time the voice came from one of his self-projections that stepped from the shadows on the other side of the clearing drawing everyone's attention.

" **But then you finally came back Shadow and weakened that barrier, making her siren song all the clearer to one as sensitive as me. Red Deaths have a very distinct song, one I remember hearing but ignored when I first made the journey to the Isle of Night all those years ago! And now that we are here, beyond** _ **'The Veil's'**_ **wards, I know for certain her magical hold upon you is still in effect, albeit diminished seeing you broke away from her.**

Letting the information sink in Dathomir took the opportunity to look at every Nightfury present in the eye to see if they doubted his words. He inwardly smiled when he realised they all believed he was telling the truth. Even the nervous twitch in Toothless' tail was surely giving him away, something he knew both Moonchaser and Twilight would have also noticed. It was this little gap in proceedings that Toothless chose to defend himself.

" **What are you talking about Dathomir? There is no** _ **other**_ **Alpha's call. If there was I am sure my father would have heard it and put a stop to it. I serve no-one but the Isle of Night!"** he intoned quietly.

" **Urgh! Such ignorance! Such denial! Here is a little knowledge only a Hybrid like myself would know!"** Dathomir rumbled as yet another projection appeared with an evil smirk on his face. **"Deathwing, being an Alpha class dragon himself, is completely unaware of the signals other Alpha's send out because he is too busy sending out his own. Such is the same of all the other Alpha's I have heard … The Red Death ….. the Bewilderbeast … The Foreverwing …. I have listened to them all and never once have they reached out and acknowledged each other! If they did then I suspect the great dragon wars of old would re-ignite in a battle for dominance and so, like I said, they all exist in a state of ignorance and denial, though I would say you are more living in denial First-born!"**

" **I do not deny anything …"** Toothless hissed back, his nerves and anger starting to rise at the walls Dathomir was building with his argument to trap him, the mocking laughter of the Red Death beginning to echo in his mind **"… I am … my own dragon!"**

" **Don't mistake us all for fools when the answer is right of us!"** the second Dathomir murmured back, **"Your actions since your return have been increasingly erratic. You nearly killed Nightbreaker in your duel, declaring it was** _ **'for the queen'**_ **, but not lady Silverwing obviously…."**

Toothless could feel his body shivering and felt his heart sink as Moonchaser shifted slightly to look at him better, opening a sliver of a gap between their bodies, a gap that could have been a hundred leagues wide such was the isolation Toothless now felt. The first Dathomir then picked up the story.

"… **Then you struggled with yourself at the hot springs, losing your anger in a way ….. only a conflicted slave at war with himself could … you declared to an unseen force that you didn't need her! …"**

Twilight now visibly twitched, giving away that she knew of what Dathomir was taking about, drawing everyone's attention. With no way out she reluctantly gave a slow nod to confirm Dathomir's statement. The third copy of the light-weaver then spoke gravely.

" **And now ….. tonight …. you bring utter chaos to the nest and threaten to break all bonds of fellowship with your loving kin …. spurned ever higher by an outside force whispering to increase your and the other Nightfuries' rage …."** The first Dathomir now stepped forward and leaned so he was close to Toothless and Moonchaser, the pair frozen in fear at what the truth might mean for them **"….. Even from my mountain, I could hear her venom seep into the hearts and minds of all those around you… none of this could be possible …. Unless you were under the influence of an Alpha beyond this nest …"**

The other 'Dathomirs' now returned to their original creator and swirled together into a perfect clone of Hiccup that stood before Toothless much to the chagrin of the Nightfury prince. The clone simply smiled and ran his hand through his thick wavy hair, a perfect recreation, yet fragile and hollow as Dathomir swiped his claws through it causing it flicker away into nothingness, making Toothless twitch involuntarily again.

" **It was the taking of Hiccup and seeing what effect it had on you ….. all the pieces came together ….. leaving me an answer that was all too obvious ….. "** Dathomir pulled back to is full height **"….. Though you have finally returned, you are still under the thrall of a Red Death ….."** Toothless silently prayed to both the mother and father spirits and the stars of Draco that Dathomir wouldn't finish his sentence **"…. and it is through** _ **you**_ **she seeks to enslave all of the Nightfuries! Even right now she prods you to do her will!"**

In Toothless' mind he could now hear the Red Death screaming at him to kill Dathomir for bringing such truth to light. For now his status had been revealed in the presence of his loyal siblings, both the Alpha and Toothless feared this would mean the end of their respective plans. Without him even realising it, Toothless' claws had extended out, at first keeping him pinned to the ground or, if the voices in his head were to be followed, to lash out and sever Dathomir's damned tongue.

" **Why do you say such treasonous things? …."** Toothless wanted to stop there but the Red Death pushed him further **"…. When you know I could kill you for it?**

At this Dathomir chuckled quietly making the ground before him vibrate **"Oh please!"** he snorted **"In your current state you could not kill me … regardless of the whispers in your ears! I have sparred many times with Nightbreaker, Scythe and even King Deathwing himself. I have bested them all and that is not even counting on my human knowledge of dragons. You would be a worthy challenge but not enough to best me!"**

" **We shall see!"** Toothless snarled, his voice rising in anger and his claws unlatching from the ground to take up a fighting stance. He would have even issued a challenge, had not Moonchaser come in front of him and Nightbreaker stepped defensively in front of Dathomir, bringing the two dragons to halt.

" **Stop this now!"** Moonchaser urged in a whispered shout, reminding them of the still slumbering Hiccup only a few feet away.

" **Why do you break such harmful words?"** Nightbreaker asked Dathomir sternly, his red eyes aflame with worry and anger.

" **Because, though I am the keeper of secrets …."** Dathomir intoned, his own claws extended and ready to fight, **" … this is one secret that threatens the lives of all you hold dear** _ **Toothless**_ **! ….."** the light-weaver urged, using the Nightfury prince's new name to emphasize his point, **"you would have me keep my silence while ruin befalls your mother, your father, your siblings, all of your kind … even your human!"**

" **His name is Hiccup!"** Toothless shot back, irked by Dathomir playing with his and his boy's names.

" **Oh I know his name well ….."** Dathomir crooned smugly **"… and he and I will find a safe haven from the corruption you carry when we are banished together."**

" **No! Hiccup cannot, will not be yours! Why do you** _ **pursue**_ **him so?"** Toothless rasped harshly as he made a slight lunge forward, only to be halted by Moonchaser pressing into his chest from the front and Twilight pulling from the back, gripping his tail lightly in her gummy mouth. The desperation with which Toothless spoke made his mate-to-be and sibling nearly weep for they felt his heart tearing at the thought of losing his boy. Dathomir however was seemingly unmoved.

" **Why do you** _ **possess**_ **him so?"** the large light-weaver shot back **"….. I stand as the only one immune to an Alpha's order. I was a human once so I can relate to him in a way you never will. I can carry him far away from all the creatures that have hurt and lied to him! ..."** Dathomir's harsh expression softened slightly as he went on **" … and I can be a true companion. I will feed his remarkable mind and show him things he had never even dreamed possible. I wish to spare him pain as you do. Now that you are next in line to the throne, do you really think you will be able to provide such kinship?"**

Toothless believed himself ready to answer this question. He wanted to tell of how he planned to have Hiccup as part of his court, as the first true bridge between the Nightfuries and the humans and even other dragon species. He would succeed where his father had failed with _'the fallen one'_. Hiccup would have a destiny with the Nightfuries. He was sure of it. But Dathomir would not relent in his case as he leaned over Nightbreaker to gaze firmly back at Toothless, his yellow eyes afire.

" **Hiccup is not happy here!** " Dathomir almost pleaded, **"you know this! … but you lie to yourself thinking that if you can just survive long enough ….. your father will give in and grant him asylum out of your attrition and his boredom. Ha! Such foolishness!"** the big dragon scoffed.

" **I am Hiccup's protector, he will be accepted, I will make sure of that!"** Toothless stated resolutely.

" **Hiccup will not appreciate your constant coddling First-born! He will grow to resent the fact the only friends he has are dragons, when he needs to be amongst his own kind. Trust me when I say I know how humans behave! … "** Dathomir snarked sarcastically before his gaze turned cold and accusatory **"…..** _ **You**_ **would selfishly trap him in your cave until he is old and dies to satisfy your own needs. Hiccup already knows that** _ **human**_ **souls cannot pass to the Stars of Draco. He knows your separation is inevitable! …. And nothing you do will ever be enough to fill the gaping chasm that grows in his heart!"**

" **No!"** Toothless whined as he felt his legs shake and buckle slightly. He had thought he understood that Dathomir bore a heavy burden in the weight of the truths he carried, but he had yet to fully aknowledge just how heavy they were until the light-weaver dropped them harshly on his shoulders. Combined with his own knowledge and personal secrets, it was nearly too much. The urge to rip Omen's wings open and grab hold of Hiccup was nearly overpowering.

" **That's enough Blight-spawn!"** Nightbreaker hissed angrily

" **You have made you point Dathomir, please enough!"** Twilight cooed in agreement, pleading for mercy with her sparkling silvery orbs. For a moment it looked as if her plea had made an impact, for the larger Nightfury seemed to falter. But with a slight shake of his head he crooned sadly in reply.

" **The truth must be set free, no matter how painful! I seek only to remove your burdens … that you might both be free."** Those words earned a distressed groan from all those assembled as Dathomir once again focused his attentions on Toothless, holding his green eyes in his sights. To Toothless, Dathomir seemed genuinely distressed now as he breathing hitched **"I now set myself free this night"** he murmured almost in pain " **I have been … without human company for …. So … so long … and I desire a companion once more ….. you all know by your interactions with this boy how amazing and fulfilling it can be …how amazing he is … If you and Hiccup are too dangerous to stay together Shadow …. then I shall step in to provide both of you with the freedom you need to survive … and share my lonesome existence with someone would make me feel worthwhile … I do not seek to steal Hiccup from you ….. But I know if given the choice ….. you fear … that Hiccup would choose me over you!"**

" **If you seek a human, trickster, go and seek another, though I doubt you would have much luck, seeing how they cast you out in the first place!"** Toothless snarled his back fins raised in barely supressed rage, **"Hiccup will never be yours Dathomir, and I take pleasure in saying, you will never share a bond with him the way I do!"**

Dathomir recoiled at the ferocity of Toothless words, hurt by their bluntness and complete lack of compassion in the face of his personal revelation. The light-weaver was unsure how much of Toothless' outburst was due to the Red Death's whispers or the first-borns own anger. Either way the message had been made clear. Schooling his features Dathomir pulled his head up and looked down his nose at the heir of the Nightfury throne, his hurt now hidden under a mask of indifference.

" **We shall seeeeeeee"** the Nightfury warbled playfully, his switching of tactic and tone driving them all to near a frenzy of madness **, "But you know … Toothless … Hiccup is not** _ **yours**_ **either and one day soon he will tell you as such!"** Dathomir crooned in a singsong way as he began to pace about the edge of the clearing, **"I know you have not told Hiccup** _ **everything**_ **of your past. If he truly knew what you have done, I would see the truth in his eyes and hear the tone of his voice like no other Nightfury here**!" Dathomir grinned as he paused his pacing to snatch a glance and knew by Toothless' fearful expression his suspicions were confirmed, **"When he learns of your past and what you have deliberately not told him, He will not stand for such lies or omissions of truth … and when that happens ….. he will not live with such betrayal!"**

" **And I suppose when you are done here, you will wake Hiccup and tell every sordid secret you know about me then?"** Toothless replied angrily, **"You will drive the wedge home yourself and destroy two lives with your selfishness!? When will you tell him?!"**

Keeping up his pacing around the clearing, tearing up tuffs of grass and bark, Dathomir didn't even grace Toothless with a glance in return. He looked anywhere but at Toothless to show his aloofness. **"Well at least I have been honest about my selfishness, you hide behind veiled promises and secrets in return for favours!"** by now Dathomir had returned to his original place near Omen and he looked down, not at the Nightfury but rather at where everyone knew Hiccup was sleeping **"Me? Unveil you to Hiccup? Oh no, tis not my place! It is** _ **yours**_ **as you so often claim! That will be** _ **your**_ **burden to place on** _ **his**_ **shoulders and we will all be interested if they strong enough to carry the weight. For if they are not or you leave it too long, your human will have only one …!"**

"… **Hiccup will not leave me!"** Toothless barked in interruption, cringing slightly for raising his voice and holding his place until he heard the uninterrupted peaceful breathing of Hiccup. When all was still silent he looked at Dathomir for his response.

" **Hiccup will do what he believes is right whether you wish it or not!"** the light-weaver intoned, **"I have heard enough of him to know that. He has a pure yet damaged soul. He puts the lives of all those around him above the value of his own. It is all he has ever been told. That everyone matters more than him, only lashing back when pushed beyond the brink. And if he comes to believe he has to give you up for the greater good ….. then he will do it out of his own choosing. You know this be true!"**

Despite wanting to shut out all Dathomir had said, Toothless knew Hiccup was indeed a selfless creature. If there was someone with a need of any kind he would gladly sacrifice whatever it took to fill that need.

He had given so much to get him back in the air after all.

Half of that beautiful outlook was Hiccup's own generous, compassionate nature and the other was the exploitation his fellow humans had beaten into him for most of his life. Hiccup had been nurtured into giving up everything he wanted without any consideration for the consequences to himself. During those months they had spent together in the cove Toothless had come to realize Hiccup had given and given and given to his own kind but received next to nothing in return.

And when Hiccup had finally taken what he wanted. His freedom and his life, It resulted in him becoming a black aura of cold vengeance that nearly cost the life of one of his own kind. An act of cruelty that seemed to haunt the boy more and more as the weeks had gone by, regardless of how willing Toothless had been to help of his own volition.

" **Yes ….. I know Hiccup would sacrifice anything for me …. I mean others …. To be happy."** Toothless replied sorrowfully.

" **And he will need no prodding, after spending two suns amongst his own kind!"** Dathomir pressed on evenly **"he will be unable to resist living amongst them once more. As surely as birds of the same kind flock as one, Hiccup will not be able to resist the lure of having humans in his company. He needs it … craves it … as any of us ….. crave the company of each other …. when the nights are ….. cold ….. long and lonely … You dragons will never be enough!"**

" **I should have you banished for how you speak to me!"** Toothless hissed, uncaring for the dragon that was nick-named Old Lonesome for no fault of his own or the hurt the great beast obviously felt at being an outcast dragon among a tribe of outcast dragons.

" **Such is not the way of the first-born!"** Dathomir crooned dejectedly, **"Besides I think your siblings and intended would break words over this now. If you will not set yourself free to Hiccup, at least free yourself to them!"**

Dathomir stepped back into the shadows of the forest, made starker by what appeared to be the onset of morning twilight in the far distance.

" **Brother! Is it true?"** Nightbreaker rumbled, his red eyes wide with uncertainty, **"Did you forsake your loyalty to your nest and clan? Do you forsake it still?"**

" **What is it? Tell us!"** Twilight begged as she came around to face him too.

" **I will not speak a word of this to anyone First-born!"** Omen whispered to calm Toothless who was looking from one Nightfury to the other skittishly.

" **You need to tell them my love!"** Moonchaser crooned as she looked at Toothless dead in the eye, her milky white orbs offering as much comfort as she could muster. She had already beheld many of Toothless' memories during their mind-share on the causeway back at the Isle of the Night only hours before. But now in the face of Dathomir's audacious verbal jabs, she had to hear the words from his own lips, see the look on his face and listen carefully to the tone of his own re-telling.

Moonchaser leaned forward, hoping her closeness would give Toothless confidence. However it seemed to have the opposite effect as her mate-to-be flinched and drew in on himself closing his eyes and visibly shivered as he wrestled with his daemons.

' _It was all too much!_

 _The looks, the voices, the attention!'_

Toothless wanted them all to go away.

To shut up and not torment him so.

To stop demanding he reveal a part of himself he so loathed and despised. And all the while the Red Death's taunting voice was burning within him, urging him to either silence them with his will as an Alpha to be, to simply kill them or mentally strike down their defences so she could begin controlling them all herself. For a few brief moments his hearing cuts out altogether, replaced by a high-pitched whine that threatened to overwhelm him into some dead-willed state. He could see his siblings and mate whispering amongst themselves, casting worried and suspicious glances at him as dark static began to encroach on his vision.

He wanted to tell them.

He didn't want to tell them.

He wanted them to understand.

He knew they would never understand.

He was going to lose it all. The Red Death was going to take him again. He was going to k …

"… _ **. be at peace, we are here ….. be at peace, we are here ….. be at peace, we are here!"**_

The three voices, all speaking in unison yet in a discordant harmony shattered through the haze in his mind. Again a screech of defeat echoed from a distant somewhere, but in a jarring sudden moment, Toothless found himself back in the real world and he saw the black scales of his three closest companions resting their foreheads against his own. Taking a step back he realised the voices he heard where those of Nightbreaker, Twilight and Moonchaser. Together they had freed him from his increasing fugue state and Toothless realised that despite how infuriating and divisive Dathomir was being, he was in one sense correct.

He had to set himself free ….. and only the truth would do that.

Sitting down fully, Toothless lowered his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper as the others also sat, their heads all still very close to touching.

" **When I left the Isle of Night ….. "** he began shakily, pawing at the ground in nervousness **" … I flew as far the winds could carry me….. I saw ancestral lands not seen since the days of our parent's youth and the great cataclysm that befell our kind all those years ago…."** All those present nodded in recognition of their once great home, either through memory or hearing of it in tales told by older Nightfuries, **"…I wandered the ruins of our old homeland, I crossed mighty seas and sky breaking mountains in search of the missing piece of my heart. I thought I would find it on some distant shore, within some new experience or from a type of dragon that had gained knowledge beyond my ken and share with me the secrets they possessed, a Bewilderbeast maybe, perhaps even I dreamed of crossing paths with the Foreverwing himself …. that they might aid my life's journey and give me the guidance I sought! ….. "** Toothless saw the hopeful expressions in his companion's faces, especially Moonchaser who he had argued with, yet still left behind, so driven was he to pursue his goal. He had regretted leaving her every day ….. that is … until his enslavement. All of their faces dropped however as Toothless looked away in shame **" …. But there was no such revelation to found. Though I met many dragons of species not seen in ages past, I did not find my goal in the vast world. I believed ….. I had failed!"** The morose tone of Toothless' voice made Moonchaser lean forward and give his face a quick nuzzle and a lick to urge him to continue his story and to remind him that at least he had to come back to reclaim what he had once left behind. Encouraged Toothless perked up and kept going **"… It had not been a very long span of years, but my wings had taken me far. Yet it was never far enough ….. So with a heavy heart I turned back homeward, hoping to find solace and purpose once I reconnected with my love and kin….."**

The other Nightfuries all smiled at the fact that Toothless had at least made that part of his plan come true, albeit a couple of decades overdue.

" … **And yet…"**

This was part of the story Toothless hated. The forever reminder that had haunted him in nights past, continued to plague him this very day and could very well destroy his future. The mocking voice of the Red Death was still there but no-where near as noticeable as it had been, still demanding him to shut his mouth. But no. Toothless would not listen. Not this time and so he ploughed ahead and would deal with the hurt and consequences later.

" **As I sped home, I opened my mind fully to the call of my Alpha seeking its guidance to bring me home. I was tired and weak and still troubled at my lack of discovery. I knew our Alpha would always guide me home!"** he said warmly finding the others nodding at the reassurance Deathwing's presence gave them, **"… Finally I heard it! The voice, the Alpha's call, It called to me, the voice that was strong and warm and comforting, promising that once I came home all my questions would be answered, all my worries calmed and all my heartache neutralized."** Toothless' eyes became troubled and his scaled brows furrowed as he kept going, now reliving the horrifying moments he literally walked into a trap he should have seen coming but had been too blind and selfish to realise **"….. I flew into a nest forged by fire only to find that it was not the caverns carved by the great Wyrm Soulfire, but the inside of a volcano ruled by a horrid abomination. A ruinous, poisonous queen, seducing me with her beautiful siren call and limitless magicks. Even as I began to realize my mistake and tried to break free, she ploughed into my mind, blasting away what little defences I had left and claiming me wholly for herself. Upon that day, I became …. her slave … completely and utterly loyal to her and her endless desires!"**

It took Toothless a few seconds to realise he had carved some nasty gashes in the ground with his claws as he recounted this part. Seeing the concerned looks of his mate and siblings, he reassured them with a look and retracted his claws.

" **It was her own Alpha's core and foul magicks that kept me from Omen's and my father's sight hiding me away, always binding me close to ensure that I never harboured thoughts of escape or rebellion. … "** Toothless explained earning a knowing look from Omen who was thankful for not failing in his duties for so many years, **"…. And so it was that I never had any thoughts or desires to return home … for in my heart, mind and soul I believed I** _ **already was**_ **home ….. serving my rightful queen like all the others in her nest!"** Each Nightfury looked distressed as Toothless described the source of their communal plight. Wishing to spare them some of the darker horrors he lifted his gaze over to Dathomir who was watching intently from the shadows, his camouflage perfect even against the shifting light of dawn, **"…. It was a dark place full of dark things that I do not wish to speak of now …. If our resident** _ **'truth-dragon'**_ **will allow it?!"**

" **By all means first-born"** Dathomir crooned at Toothless' deeply sarcastic jibe. The Nightfury prince would have to thank Hiccup later for helping him master the art of sarcasm. Something distinctly lacking in a lot dragon interactions. The little bit of levity allowed Toothless to get to his most preferred part of the story.

" … **.. And then one day … one fateful day …. Hiccup passed my way…."**

The other dragons, picking up on his happier change in tone, perked up their ears and even wagged their tails gently seeing the attitude of their prince brighten in the coming glow of the dawn sun.

" … **. It was him who freed me from the grip of the Red Death's control and returned my memory of you, my kin, to me. As we grew to trust one-another and our bond strengthened, I knew that he was unlike any other human I had encountered and thus deserving of my friendship, trust and loyalty. In such a short time I realised that this small yet sturdy human could have been the very thing I had been searching for my whole life! It made my dragon heart burn to know I had found such a valuable treasure!"**

Toothless grinned as he heard Hiccup's heart still beating steady and strong, even encased in Omen's wings, always reminding him of Hiccup's lust for life and what he gone through to maintain it. It made Toothless very clear in his next statement.

" **I also learned of Hiccup's deplorable life of cruelty, suffering at the hands of those who should rightfully call him 'first-born' and give him due respect and reverence. As this nest gives me! It was a sorry tale of escalation which, if left unchecked, could have cost him his very life and mine! I decided then that he would accompany me to the Isle of Night and find the comfort his birth home had been lacking. I've told you before. He saved me and now I must save him!"**

The collective of dragons hummed in unison to show their support for Toothless' decision. Granted Hiccup was essential for Toothless to fly and so he was here. However it seemed that, had Toothless been fully capable of self-flight, he would have brought Hiccup anyway.

But the huge black-scaled fly in the ointment raised his head now in the form of Dathomir who came forward a few steps, now clearly visible in the morning light.

" **But the Red Death still calls to you! And by extension Hiccup as well seeing he has shown himself to be susceptible to an Alpha's call!"** the light-weaver muttered accusingly as Twilight's eyes widened in remembrance of such an incident when Hiccup drew her.

" **Yes she does and I cannot stop her for much longer!"** Toothless snarked back irritably as he heard distant laughing again, **"As for Hiccup I may have …** _ **overpowered**_ **… the spell I used to let him understand Dragoneese …."**

" **That is why you want him to accepted into the clan of the Nightfuries!"** Dathomir crooned in mock realisation **"You have been drawing on his endless will! It helps defend your mind and if he is made one of us when your core is re-ignited, then you will be able to defend both Hiccup and yourself!"**

At this statement Toothless nodded expecting to finally make headway with Dathomir, hoping that now he had revealed what his intentions and resources were, the keeper-of-secrets would cut him a break and actually help bring his dreams to reality for the betterment of everyone. However such a thing was not be as Dathomir only narrowed his eyes and hissed right into his face.

" **You've been** _ **using**_ **him!"** the yellow-eyed dragon spoke venomously, **"finally you reveal yourself for the truly selfish salamander you are! The boy simply a tool for you!"**

" **No I have not been using him!"** Toothless retorted snapping back up to face down his accuser **"you insult me with such words! It is merely a mighty benefit to the bond we share!"** the Nightfury prince declared as he stepped forward forcing Dathomir and the others to pull back **"It has deepened to a level where we need each other to survive! As I need his help to fly and to remain myself, he needs my help to not hear the Red Death's call. So far it has worked and I have not detected her voice speaking to him!"**

" **It is why you cannot bear to part from him for long"** Omen crooned,

" **Why you care for him so!"** Nightbreaker added,

" **And are so protective of him"** Twilight chimed in gaining an apologetic look from Toothless for punishing her with cruel words in the past.

" **Your fates are locked together, two broken circles of life, bound until you both can be made whole again!"** Moonchaser surmised, earning a nuzzle from Toothless in response.

Dathomir scoffed a snort at Toothless' justification for his actions but the Nightfury prince was unfazed as he turned to those he hoped would help him.

" **But it is getting harder and harder to fend off the Red Death now that she knows where I am!"** Toothless whispered urgently, **"I need this matter resolved and fast! We must be free of this Island and safely behind** _ **'The Veil'**_ **again soon. And once home, only with your help can I convince the others of Hiccup's worth!"**

" **We cannot tell father!"** Nightbreaker rumbled to a surprised Toothless who figured this would be the first thing they would tell Deathwing upon their return.

" **No we cannot!"** Twilight urged in agreement, **"If he knows of what is going on, he may banish you for being the conduit that draws the Red Death's attentions.**

" **And that will place both of you at risk and, as I said, all of us in danger. This is a battle you cannot win Shadow!"** Dathomir interjected soberly.

" **Being made one of the clan would prevent any harm as Hiccup would be fully protected by our kind's magic as well as my own once my core is re-awakened once again!"** Toothless spoke firmly **"Father will see us both as a threat to the flock and send us away, leaving us to fall prey to that damned siren call and I would not have such a thing befall Hiccup or me!"**

" **Thoughts of loss spur you on brother!"** Nightbreaker warbled.

" **As they do us then! We will not lose either of you now that you are here!"** Moonchaser added with a firm hopeful tone to her voice.

" **Then we are agreed"** Toothless warbled hopefully **," We will keep our silence until such time that I can be made whole again and strong enough to keep all of you safe!"**

" **This is the shame that has weighed down your wings Shadow!"** Twilight cooed in worry as she leaned against him shoulder-to-shoulder as she had done with Hiccup all those weeks ago, **"Kept you smothered under its burden. Know that you will not bear this burden alone! Not anymore!"**

" **Thank-you, thank you all!"** Toothless cooed warmly as he once again felt the embrace of his fellow Nightfuries nuzzling him closely. They halted their embrace when they realised they were still being watched by Dathomir who was now back baring the steely, suspicious look he wore at this confrontations beginning.

" **Dathomir?"** Toothless asked warily **"Do you stand with us? Or against us?"**

" **I stand as I always have and always will"** the light-weaver crowed bitterly **"I stand apart from the lot of you! I stand on Hiccup's side. For him will I keep the secrets of this night! ….. "** Toothless and the others heaved a collective sigh of relief before Dathomir kept talking, his demeanour still cold despite the warm sun now splitting the trees along with the morning chorus of birdsong, **" … But ….. I will stand ready to spirit Hiccup away from the Isle of Night if he falls from favour, before Blacklight and his kin seek to move against him."**

" **That's the best I can ask for, I thank you as well!"** Toothless replied as warmly as he could, even effecting a bow to the irksome dragon that landed him in this mess in the first place but somehow secured himself allies who now were fully loyal to his and Hiccup's cause.

' _Unless that was what Dathomir had planned all along?'_

' _ **What? ….. No! ….. Wait ….. Maybe? ….. ugh my head hurts now!'**_ Toothless shook the muddled thoughts in his head. The night had been a difficult ordeal and a deep yawn told him how much he needed rest. But first it was time to rouse his young human and set him on the path to the village. Trotting over to Omen, one look from Toothless was all it took for the black-eyed dragon to unfurl his wings and nudge Hiccup out into the open thus bringing him back to consciousness.

" **Come on Hiccup! It's time to wake my boy!"** Toothless cooed gently licking the tear marks from his cheeks. At once the bright green eyes Toothless had so long to see again, snapped open. Before he knew it Hiccup was up and hugging his dragon friend, arms stretched to breaking point around his wide scaly neck.

"Oh bud, I'm so happy!" Hiccup whimpered causing the black dragon to pull back in concern.

" **What is it?!"** Toothless asked

"Oh nothing," Hiccup replied as if he was just remembering something "I'm just really happy that we're here and now I get to see if Omen's sight-beyond-sight really works!"

" **Did you sleep well?"** Toothless queried, his true-sight already searching for a deeper answer from the human he knew who had become an expert in hiding his true feelings from those around him.

"Well yeah bud, I think so, I had a dream I was talking to … someone? ….. they were shouting …..urgh ….. it might have been my dad!. Then I heard your voice and I woke up!"

There didn't seem to be any lie in Hiccup's eyes and so Toothless chalked it up to it being another one if his memories of Berk. But the boy was awake, the dream was forgotten and all was right with the world.

" **Well now that is done, it's time for you to go!"** Moonchaser warbled as she came up and gave Hiccup a nuzzle of her own.

"Wow! can't wait to get rid of me, can you?!" Hiccup dead-panned sarcastically before leaning on Toothless casually like a good wingman should, "but then that would mean you get this big hunky dragon all to yourself then don't ya?! You my good lady dragon have excellent taste!"

The bewildered and slightly embarrassed look on Moonchaser's face was probably the biggest pay-off Hiccup had ever seen and the other Nightfuries present seem to agree as all of them burst out laughing, Nightbreaker and Twilight rolling on the ground in hysterics.

Despite being the punch line to his joke Moonchaser recovered with good grace and looked to Toothless for help. The bigger dragon simply jerked his head around and caught his sarcastic friend up the back of the head with one of his heavy ear flaps earning a laughed out yelp and having Hiccup diving for his travelling pack and hood.

"OK Ok! I'll be back as soon as I can, you guys look after yourselves, see ya bud!" the boy said cheerily as he began exiting the clearing waving happily as he did so.

The journey to the road only took about ten minutes and was in the exact direction Omen's vision had shown him. Though he didn't need to look back, he knew one of them was following him. It was probably Dathomir. Hiccup figured out of all the black-scaled Nightfuries he could weave light around him to make himself invisible and thus protect him in the now fully risen sunlight. It was reassuring to know that at least some the dragons had his back.

Stopping to pick up a fallen branch as a walking stick, Hiccup began thinking back to the dream he had. It was one of those dreams that faded from memory as soon as you woke up, yet it must have been something important. Hiccup simply shrugged and let it fall from his thoughts as he found the road and began striding toward the southern town on the Isle of Munn.

Despite all that happened these past few days and especially the chaos that resulted in him begging Deathwing to let him come here, Hiccup felt surprisingly up-beat for being a stranger on a strange Island. He was going to be around new people today. People who may not judge him as others had done.

Yes, today was a new day, full of potential and nothing was going to change that.

Hiccup smiled as the settlement came into view.

'What had that dream been about it again?'

 _It probably didn't matter. Right?_

* * *

 _ **(Hiccup's dream, that ended only a few minutes ago)**_

The air was filled with smoke.

It choked the lungs with its acrid smell. The burning flesh of humans mixed with the heavy aroma of once proud timber homes burned to charcoal and ash.

Hiccup looked around at the devastation of the burning village. He wasn't sure how it had happened but he was sure of one thing.

It was all _his_ fault.

Staring at the corpses strewn about on the ground, he saw many were still alive but were writhing and screaming in constant pain as their skin had been burnt from their bones, revealing the bloodied muscle and sinews beneath.

The faces of the people were twisted into horror struck visages that all stared at him and condemned him with their wide blood shot eyes. They bore into him and he felt the weight of their oppressive accusatory gazes.

" _You did this!"_ they victims all chanted as one, a terrified rasping choir of the damned, _"YOU DID THIS!"_

Hiccup had no defence to their claims. He knew he was responsible. He just didn't know why. All he could say was.

"I'm …. I'm sorry … I'm so sorry ….. What did I do? …. WHAT DID I DO?!"

The question was harrowing and desperate.

If he knew what he had done then maybe he could fix it somehow?

But everyone was dead, the village was destroyed. It was too late to be fixed

" _ **TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …. TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …. TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …."**_

The constant chanting made Hiccup's head hurt. He raised his hands to block his ears only to see two swords in his hands.

They were finely made from a silvery steel, but slick from hilt to tip with blood. Terrified, Hiccup tried to drop the swords but they seemed to be stuck to his hands and no matter how hard he struggled he could not let them go. Panicking he flailed his arms as strongly as he could, hyperventilating as his fingers remained locked around the handles, only to feel them stop as they hit something soft yet, solid and a gasp to cry out.

Before he knew it, a body slumped against him and he fell to the ground, his victim in his arms. To his utter stupefaction Hiccup realised that the woman he had just murdered was none other than Astrid Hofferson, her face scarred, her hair torn to shreds. She looked just like she did after Toothless had wrought his revenge on her, except now she had two swords sticking out of her chest.

"Oh gods! …. Astrid! ….. I'm sorry ….. I'm so so sorry!"

Tears now poured out of Hiccup's eyes as he beheld the girl that had at one point been his biggest crush and simultaneously his worst nightmare. With a strange sense of déjà vu, Hiccup realised he had dreamt this dream before. Only now everything was a hundred times more potent. His greatest sin was once again back to haunt him and it would never go away. This was the result of his own petty vengeance and once again there was nothing he could do stop it. The dying Astrid looked at him and smiled wickedly, her lips and voice joining in with the ghostly whispering chorus behind her.

" _ **too late! ….. too late! …. too late! ….. too late! …. too late! ….. too late! …."**_

It was all too much and Hiccup jumped up and ran as the now dead Astrid stood and joined the death march of familiar Vikings that pursued Hiccup all through the village he now recognized as the charred ruins of Berk. His once and former home.

The spectres that chased him were moving inexorably slowly yet Hiccup found he could not outrun them, no matter how fast he moved. They were all there Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, Phlegma, Bucket, Mulch, Hoark, Ack, Snorre, Dogsbreath, Dunbrain, the Hoffersons, the Ingermans, the Jorgensons, Gothi the elder, the Larsons, the Svensons, the Snotmen, Trader Johan and so on ….. and so on … and so on…

Literally every Viking that Hiccup had ever met was now chasing him, demanding his blood in recompense for theirs even though he already knew it was too late to do anything.

Every time he yelled "I'm sorry!" to the apparitions he was met with a reply of emotionless chanting of _**"too late! ….. too late!"**_

It was futile, it was unavoidable, it was useless.

He was _useless_

Always has been. Always will be.

 _Useless._

Hiccup snapped in a new direction desperately trying to outrun his ghastly entourage. He snatched a glance over his shoulder and was relived to find the spectres gone, only to trip on something he hadn't noticed before. Looking up from the ground he found himself lying amongst a pile of fresh corpses only to discover to his horror that they were not pink fleshy humans but black scaled Nightfuries!

Again the swords were glued to his hands!

Not only that, it seemed his legs wouldn't work properly, forcing him to use the blades as walking sticks. But with every staggered and stumbling step he took, Hiccup fell, plunging his blades into the bodies of his draconic friends eliciting fresh screams of pain as he made his through this twisted nightmare land made of broken humans and distorted dragons.

Twilight was stabbed in the chest.

Nightbreaker was impaled through an eye.

Moonchaser lost a leg.

Searching for the only thing that brought him comfort, Hiccup looked for Toothless. His one shred of hope in this nightmarish existence.

He would not have that hope for long. Seeing the dishevelled body of his best friend, distinguished in all the chaos by his saddle and tailfin, Hiccup stumbled over to him, tears pouring in torrents from his eyes now. As with Astrid, when he finally held his best friend in his arms, he saw that the swords were now buried deep into Toothless' back, blood pouring everywhere.

" TOOTHLESS! ….. Oh gods! …. I'm sorry ….. I'm so so sorry! …. I'm sorry bud …..I'm sorry sorry sorry … bud please wake up! Say something!"

The heart rending cries of the boy finally had an effect and the Nightfury opened his eyes and looked right at him. Hiccup smiled at this sign of life.

"Thank the gods! …. Don't worry bud …I'll get you all fixed up! …. It will be ok!"

" **Don't worry Hiccup ….."** the black dragon crooned warmly **"soon … I'll be dead and you won't have to worry about me anymore ….. you'll be all on your own ….. just like you wanted!"**

"What?!"

" **It's alright human"** the Nightfury continued as the anger in his eyes continued to rise **"don't feel bad that we all died because of you! As long as you get what you want, everything will be just fine!"**

"Toothless no! … that's not what I want!... I didn't kill you! ….. I mean ….. did I?"

The doubt was now crippling in its pressure. Of all the things in this hellish world, the last thing Hiccup wanted to be responsible for was the death of his best friend. But here and now he knew what the Nightfury had said was absolutely true. Toothless' eyes became listless causing Hiccup to hold the dragons head and shout more desperately as he sobbed.

"No bud …. Stay with me ….. I'm sorry …. Don't go … say something please!"

The auburn haired boy leaned in as he heard Toothless struggle to say something, taking one final, ragged breath. Bringing his ear close to the dragon's mouth he begged with all his heart to hear some final words of comfort or solace from his dying friend.

" **I….. I should have ….. killed you ….. when I had the chance …. Damned … human!"**

With those horrible heart-breaking words Toothless died and disintegrated into millions of tiny pieces leaving Hiccup alone with a face of gut-retching pain on his face, the twin swords that were once impaled in Astrid and Toothless now both rammed through his own heart.

It was a desolate end to their existence. Hiccup felt he was going to drown in an ever rising tide of tears and blood as he came to the revelation that all around him died and he was the cause.

He had caused all this.

It didn't matter now. As long the ever-encroaching tide of darkness consumed him now, Hiccup figured his life ending was fair payment for the suffering he had caused. And still the morbid waters kept rising and rising around him.

The lake of death was up to his chin. Hiccup closed his eyes in acceptance ready for the end ….

But it was not the end ….

Suddenly, a bursting beam of light lanced out from the sky and struck Hiccup.

The force of the beam drove the all the blackness away leaving him exposed on a plateau of stone. The air was warm and a faint song danced through his ears. It was actually quite pleasant.

"H – H – H - Hello?" Hiccup called out quietly, hoping this was a sign the nightmare had ended and finally he had entered a peaceful happy dream.

" _ **Come to me my child, let not the night's fury trouble you any longer"**_ a beautiful female voice rang out. It spoke to Hiccup on every level. It was a beautiful motherly voice, like Silverwing's only much more melodic.

Even though he didn't know where he was going Hiccup began moving toward the voice as it continued to whisper to him.

" _ **That's it, forget what has troubled your sleep, forget it all now. That's it, come this way, I will protect you! Forget it all!"**_

Hiccup's smile grew as knew the voice could be trusted, even more so when it began to sing again.

He would follow this voice, the harrowing images of his nightmares and fears already forgotten, his cares abandoned to the winds.

For what harm could this beautiful voice bring as it continuously sang to him soothingly, bathing him in warm comforting light?

" _ **Hush little young-one, I'll take thee away, into my land of enchantment!"**_

" _ **Rest now my child, deep in my embrace, here in my garden of magic!"**_

As the singing faded and the Viking boy pressed ahead, a new more masculine voice took over.

" **Come on Hiccup! It's time to wake my boy!"**

As the light grew in intensity and he heard Toothless' voice again, now more real than ever before, Hiccup raced toward the growing light and the feeling of a big slobbery tongue on his face, the sound of laughter still yet ringing in his deepest darkest subconscious.

It's not as if dreams could any real damage though right?

For Hiccup had re-joined his draconic friends in the land of the conscious and all was right with the world.

Yet unknown to all, the claws of a predator had finally slipped in undetected to steal a Nightfury prince's most priceless treasure.

No-one would ever see her coming and all would fall as she prepared to snatch back her victory to consume them all in her jaws of defeat.

* * *

 **There you are guys!**

 **This marks the end of the snatching Victory arc!**

 **There were lots of revels here and I really hoped I conveyed the scene well and what is driving some of these characters forward as there was lots of 'talking' going on as well as a pretty dark dream sequence which will be evolving in it's intensity as the chapters go by. I'm sure you may have questions so go ahead and ask and I'll certainly try and answer them. It really took a lot of 'humming and hah-ing' about stuff going on here and I'd really like to hear what you think.**

 **Until next time**

 **Be excellent to each other!**

 **Razor95**


End file.
